"The pressure can be enormous" - Liverpool star criticized for 'suffering from stage fright' at Anfield

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks has claimed that striker Darwin Nunez could be struggling at Liverpool due to the sheer scale of the stage.

The Reds signed Nunez from Benfica for a club-record fee of €100 million last summer. He has since scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 26 games across competitions for the club.

However, the Uruguayan striker has often struggled to finish off chances or coordinate well with his teammates. This was again evident during the Merseysiders' 3-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers away in the Premier League on February 4.

In his column for the BBC after the game, Crooks wrote:

“I’m beginning to think Nunez is suffering from stage fright. Clubs don’t come much bigger than Liverpool and the pressure can be enormous. Nunez is really struggling in front of goal.”

Nunez, 23, scored 24 goals and provided four assists in 41 games for Benfica last season before moving to Anfield. His struggles this season could perhaps be accentuated by Liverpool's overall abysmal form as well.

Jurgen Klopp's side have won just one of their seven games across competitions in 2023. They are 10th in the Premier League table, a massive 21 points behind leaders Arsenal and 11 points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.

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Jamie Carragher slams Liverpool hierarchy for transfer market mistake

Most fans and analysts believe Liverpool's struggles this season have been due to a lack of creativity and intensity from midfield. Prominent pundit and former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has pointed out how the club's priority was to sign a midfielder in last summer's transfer window.

However, they failed to do so and have struggled since. Jurgen Klopp's team were linked with Aurelien Tchouameni, but the Frenchman eventually joined Real Madrid for €100 million.

Speaking about the Merseysiders' lack of investment in midfield last summer, Carragher told Sky Sports:

"There was money there for a midfield player, they tried to buy the lad who went to Real Madrid for £60-£70 million. They couldn't get him and Jürgen Klopp and his staff or the recruitment team decided that we don't need to buy a midfielder."

He added:

"That is on them. They've got to the start of this season, and from day one at Fulham, they haven't been able to cope with the intensity of a Premier League game of football and they've been ran over in every game that they've played."

Liverpool signed Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus last summer but the Brazilian midfielder has been out of action since October after undergoing surgery. He has made played just 13 minutes with the senior team this season.