The Sky Sports Football writers analyze the Premier League campaign of Saturday, where Liverpool has a big decision to take this summer about the future of striker Darwin Nunez.
What to do with Nunez – Save or Sell?
Those responsible for determining what Liverpool does with Darwin Nunez in the summer have a non -enviable task. If he is bad, he is very bad and a borderline liability for a team that insists on large trophies. But if he is good, he is a difference maker.
That was perfect to see in Liverpool's victory over Southampton in a game of two halves for the Uruguay striker.
The first 45? You would register the 'for sale' in the summer. Nunez wasted three chances, two of which were defined by Opta as a big one, which means that he has now missed 0.99 big opportunities per match since the start of last season. No Premier League player has missed a higher ratio per 90 minutes.
If the missed opportunities were not enough of a red flag, the fact that the red fog descended before the break when he decided to completely eliminate Kyle Walker-Peters with the ball nowhere to see it one half to forget for the striker.
But Arne Slot is paid to make large phone calls and to keep NUNEZ a big call – and one he benefited from when Nunez turned into the £ 80m striker Liverpool thought they signed, the opening goal and then win the penalty. He played the game in favor of Liverpool.
So do you stay or sell? I have no idea. Nunez is such a mystery.lewis jones
Bolt City Place CL Hopes in danger
Nottingham Forest deserves enormous credit for their defensive view. Manchester City is not the first side struggling to break them down this season. But Guardiola will nevertheless worry about the listlessness of their attack.
Nico hit the pole from a long distance, but the 14 shots of the visitors were worth only 0.85 expected goals in total, a figure that underlined how they struggled to create high -quality openings.
Their defensive problems have been the focus of their bad season, but everything is also not good in the attacking third. This was the seventh Premier League match this season in which they collected less than 1.0 expected goals. That is something that happened only five times in the entire last campaign.
Guardiola said it would not qualify for the Champions League the end of the world in his press conference before the competition. The problems, both in attack and in the defense, suggest that it is a reality that he may still have to confront. Nick Wright
Fundamental forest frustrating Man City
The overwhelming feeling of the press conference of Nuno Espirito Santo was proud and joy – but he was quickly the main reasons behind the victory.
“Organization and help were fundamental,” he said. He's not wrong.
Forest was deep in their half and frustrated city and choked every room for people like Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva to operate and to deny the ball where possible.
That frustration spilled in the display of the city for the goal. When they did not try their happiness in speculative, they break on opportunities that people like Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne would send in recent years.
On the other hand, the forest flowed ahead with pace, intention and, when it mattered, a certain degree of calmness.
This city side is a shadow of their former self, but that should not remove the outfit with which they encountered on Saturday.
Forest is in third place because, as Pep Guardiola has rightly noted, she is very good. Patrick Rowe
Expect a strong palace quota in the English team
Thomas Tuchel currently likes a trip to Selhurst Park. The boss of New England was in Crystal Palace to see how the Eagles placed four past Aston Villa in the Premier League last time and he returned to see how Oliver Glasner's silk Ippswich defeated.
Palace was the most represented club in Gareth Southgate's 26-player Euro 2024 team and with a number of English talents who can be seen again, Tuchel likes to follow for his first team to be in charge of the Drie Leeuwen.
Adam Wharton again impressed midfield, while Ebereechi Eze and Marc Guehi also played their role. Dean Henderson will compete for the English No. 1 place after consistent displays between the sticks.
With left back apparently for grabbing, Tyrick Mitchell – who was first covered in 2022 – will also be hopeful for a recall. Eddie Nketiah is another – after earning his only cap in 2023 – that hopes to have impressed Tuchel.
After the game, Glasner was asked if it was a compliment that the manager of England had taken such a sharp interest in Palace, of which he said it was an honor to the club's hierarchy.
Whatever they cook at Selhurst, it seems to work. William Bitibiri
Timen Brighton their Champions League run to perfection?
When Brighton was destroyed 7-0 in Nottingham Forest at the beginning of February, they got away in the 10th in the Premier League, with their season that threatened to be buzzing.
Fast Vooruit just over a month and the side of Fabian Hurzeler has used to sixth, level at points with fifth placed Chelsea [albeit having played a game more than the Blues] After he has defeated Fulham in the Amex to register a fourth consecutive top win for the first time in almost 44 years.
The German was quickly to dampen expectations after the game, and told his players to “concentrate on the next challenge”, but with fifth place that there is more and more likely the Champions League – football next season – and all his accompanying wealth – it is all really to play in the last 10 competition matches of the campaign.
Of course, it is incredibly busy in that fight to make the European Premier Club competition, with even the opponents of Brighton on Saturday still a chance -but with collisions against top -five rivals Man City, Aston Villa and Newcastle, the Seagulls have their Champions League Fate in their own hand.
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