DOMINIC KING: Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez keen to make a point after slow start

Not the start to the season that anyone at Anfield envisioned, but on this date there is an opportunity to apply perspective.

October 4, 2015 was the day Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers. They were 10th in the Premier League when that decision was made, after a 1-1 draw with Everton, and were busy in the Europa League, having drawn two games with FC Sion and Bordeaux.

No one would have taken you seriously if you had said at the time that by October 4, 2022, Liverpool would have won seven trophies, reached nine finals (including three editions of the Champions League) and have one of Europe’s best squads to date composed. they were off pace.

Jurgen Klopp was, of course, the man brought in to rectify the situation, so it’s worth bearing all of that in mind as he heads into another autumn at Anfield to figure out how to find a solution to the current predicament find. This is by no means a thorough overhaul.

No, Klopp’s job is to get players back in shape and get the system that has been so good for Liverpool back to normal. Put another way, if it’s high on the “to do” list to make the most of an £85 million signing, the landscape isn’t quite so bleak.

Darwin Nunez, the headliner of Liverpool’s summer transfer company, hasn’t had the kind of impact many expected, but the Glasgow Rangers visit was the perfect opportunity for him to put in some minutes and build confidence that has been battered.

With Klopp moving from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 to put the Uruguayan at the center of his attack, it was a show of encouragement and a message to the 22-year-old that everyone at Anfield is determined to make this one. to succeed in movement.

Klopp is, understandably, aware of Nunez’s impatience to get off to a good start after that early red card against Crystal Palace, so much so that he and his assistant Pep Lijnders took him aside after training in Kirkby on Sunday to deal with the situation. discuss.

The message was clear: keep calm. Nunez, it’s easy to see, has a fire inside that makes him a very different character from any other Liverpool forward, the potential to do something dashing is clearly never far away.

You got that feeling here within five minutes, when French referee Clement Turpin summoned him and reminded him that it would be a good idea to keep things under control after a full-blooded attack with the Rangers defence.

Nunez was eager to get things started and how he must have wished an opportunity like that presented itself to Oakley Cannonier, a young striker advancing in Liverpool’s Academy, who scored a diving header from two yards out against the Rangers youth team earlier that afternoon.

Liverpool were much better in that game, winning 4-1, and the first team should have given Gio van Bronckhorst’s team a similar beating, they enjoyed such dominance and possession. Had it not been for Allan McGregor, the margin at the end would have been huge.

Much to Nunez’s frustration, McGregor kept getting in his way and made a number of saves in the first half, leaving Liverpool’s number 27 annoyed with his head, unable to believe his bad luck. One stop, after a super pass from Jordan Henderson, was great.

Nunez left the field in the 80th minute without a goal, but at least he left as the crowd chanted his name and he was showered by a Klopp bear hug in recognition of his efforts. There will be better days for him. The same can be said about his team.