Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez for a club record fee and it was a gamble to say the least. Although his numbers were by no means terrible, the chances he missed were too frequent to give him a long term career at Liverpool. Nunez brought with him chaos, vibes and moments. But that’s pretty much it. Great character, a good footballer but eventually it was never going to work out for him under Slot.
Slot as a coach has openly stated what he looks for in players.
“It’s all about quality. For me, a player must be able to change direction quickly, work hard, and have excellent ball skills”
We’ll get to the points Slot highlighted, but something that he also definitely looks for in his players is flexibility. Being able to play multiple positions seems to he very important for Slot. He’s spoken about Frimpong being able to play RM when Salah goes for AFCON, we know Wirtz can play as a CAM, False 9 and on the left cutting in and Hugo Ekitike who apart from playing as a 9, can also play via the left. (Which makes the Isak signing a lot more understandable.)
Let’s look at the factors he did mention though.
Change Direction quickly, something Hugo Ekitike has already proven that he’s capable of in his first two games for Liverpool and previously at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Work hard? Ekitike does exactly that and more. From dropping in to collect the ball to sprinting back the entire length of the pitch to defend a counter to leading the press, Ekitike doesn’t stop.
As for the excellent ball skills, Ekitike is scintillating. For someone who of his build and stature his ball control is ridiculous. He has a knack for baiting people in with a touch to then use his long legs to knock it past them. As stated by multiple people, there’s a slight Henry vibe to him.
Ekitike instantly made me fall in love with him as a player, the last person to do that was, I’d say quite fittingly, Bobby Firmino.
Someone who links up incredibly well but is never shy of taking chances himself.
Brilliant in the air when he needs to be, considering he prefers keeping the ball on the ground. Always looking forward and a sneakily good passer of the ball.
Some of the things he does make very little sense, until a second later, which is quite a skill. Apart from also being a silky dribbler and a link up beast, he also does things a striker is supposed to do. Like, scoring goals. You know?
He uses his long legs and incredible close control and then pairs it up with a calm and collected finish which for Liverpool fans, has been quite a rare sight these last few years.
There’s a lot more to say but before I say any more, I shall observe and learn more about the way he plays and how he adapts to the league.
I am undoubtedly, heavily invested in Ekitike stock. I think he’s going to be one of the best players in the world sooner than you think. Hugo, boss.
[🟢] CONFIRMED: Paris Saint-Germain is asking for around €170m for Bradley Barcola.
Liverpool wants to sign the player and values the French international below that amount.
There are no negotiations between the clubs at this time.
Bradley Barcola will not extend his contract with PSG, but his departure this summer is not completely finalized for the moment.
[@FabriceHawkins]
This is Ambaram Meghwal. He has been protesting in Barmer, Rajasthan for the last 54 days. Some Rajputs grabbed his land using fake documents. He doesn't even have a proper place to sit in protest. The Sarpanch and many villagers are backing the people he has accused.
The torch has been passed.
Spain have done it again.
Congratulations to undoubtedly one of the best national teams in recent history.
A campaign to be proud of.
12th standard students were protesting silently against the NEET examination paper leak. These BJP-supported ABVP goons entered and started warning the students to leave. When a few students confronted them, they started abusing and attacking. Seeing that, every student in the protest united and taught these goons a beautiful lesson.
Gen Zs, whenever you see these kinds of goons interfering in your college matters, teach them the same lesson.
This is Penny. She came up with her own trick. Really hopes you like it, and will repeat it as many times as necessary until you acknowledge that you do. 14/10
Like I get the fact that he is a brilliant winger, but unless he plays week in week out on the RW, we’re fucked. We can play Rio on the right, but I don’t see the same ceiling there. Let’s see how this goes.
I don’t get the hype around Liverpool fans wanting Barcola. He’s a LW. We have Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Rio, Gakpo and now Munoz who prefer playing through the left. Now that Salah has left and Chiesa most likely leaving, we have 1 right sided player in our first team squad. Munoz.