Liverpool Threatened Without Darwin Nunez Against Arsenal

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is in danger of being absent from Arsenal. (X/LFC)

JAKARTA - A heavy blow came for Liverpool while slaughtering Chelsea 4-1 in the 2023/2024 Premier League match. Striker Darwin Nunez has a leg injury and is in danger of being sidelined when Liverpool return to a tough match against another London club, Arsenal.

Liverpool face a big test twice in a row. The match against Chelsea is the first test and can be passed with unexpected results.

At the duel at Anfield Stadium, Thursday, February 1, 2024, early morning WIB, the Reds were able to win a landslide of up to four goals and only conceded once.

The victory confirmed Liverpool at the top of the standings with 51 points. A five-point lead from defending champions Manchester City who are in second place. However, Man City kept one game postponed.

Liverpool will face their next tough test against Arsenal. This time the Reds played an away match against an opponent who was ranked third at the Emirates Stadium, Sunday, February 4, 2024, WIB night.

In this match, Liverpool Manager, Jurgen Klopp, will reshuffle the squad. The reason is, Nunez suffered a leg injury which may not recover quickly.

Against Chelsea, Nunez did play 90 minutes. He also failed to execute a penalty. However, after the match, the Uruguayan national team striker left Anfield with his feet protected.

"I don't know if Darwin can play or not (in the match against Arsenal). When the game was running for 20 minutes, the opposing player pulled his leg. He seemed to be in pain," Klopp said.

"He just took off his shoes after the game because he didn't want to see it. He knew something was wrong with his feet. So, he left the stadium without wearing any football boots," he said.

According to Klopp, the scan showed no Nunez's bones cracked and only swollen.

"We'll see later whether he feels comfortable wearing football boots or not," said Klopp.

If you don't recover from injury and miss Arsenal in a big match, it's clear that Liverpool will be the mainstay.

Moreover, The Kop has lost Mohamed Salah who has not recovered from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, midfielder Wataru Endo is still strengthening Japan in the 2023 Asian Cup.

Liverpool also still cannot be strengthened by Kostas defender Tsimikas. Likewise defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has not recovered from a knee injury.

The back sector seems to be Klopp's concern with the absence of several pillars in the defense.