Slot stands by Nunez despite lack of goals
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has come out in support of striker Darwin Nunez after criticism of the striker's goal output ahead of its match against Fulham this weekend.
Nunez has scored three goals in all competitions for Liverpool so far this season, last finding the back of the net in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League last month.
The Uruguayan has also missed three big chances for the Reds in the top-flight this term, with only Diogo Jota (five) and Mohamed Salah (nine) squandering more.
In the midweek 1-0 win over Girona in the UEFA Champions League, Nunez recorded the joint-most shots on target, but cut a frustrated figure at the full-time whistle.
Slot, however, believes his number nine has contributed to his side's fine start to the campaign in other ways, and will not judge him purely based on his goal tally.
"For me, he has an impact. If you only look at goals, he hasn't scored as many as he wants to score, or we want a number nine to score," Slot said.
"But he does have an impact on his work rate and that's not just to prevent the other team from making a chance, but also for us, when we lose the ball, to be aggressive, and we can get the ball back and create chances.
"He's part of a team that scores a lot of goals and is winning a lot, but of course, as a number nine you want to score more goals. That's definitely what he wants.
"I'm not only judging Mo [Salah] or Darwin on goals, I also judge on their work rate and what they bring to the team. That has been positive until now, except for us and him wanting to score more goals," Slot said.
"Maybe because the fans support him so much, he wants it almost too much, to score that goal for the fans and for himself. All the players feel the support of our fans, but he's definitely one of them."
Slot, meanwhile, confirmed that Jota could be available for selection after a rib injury at the end of October, while Federico Chiesa could be in the squad for Fulham after playing just 18 minutes since joining the club.
"I think they are [available], we have one training session to go," Slot said.
"Federico missed quite a lot. We have to see. Maybe Diogo is in the squad, maybe Federico as well, but that depends on the numbers we have.
"What he [Chiesa] needs is playing time. If you haven't played for five or six months, it is sometimes difficult for a manager to give him those minutes because you don't know what to expect. Maybe the Southampton game would be a good game to give him minutes.
"He needs to get his fitness level, he needs playing time. But it is not always easy to find these minutes."
