Liverpool have a big opportunity to get back on top of the 2024/25 Premier League table with a promising fixture list over November.
The Reds’ 2-2 draw against Arsenal doesn’t feel bad when you consider their next two games are at home and their upcoming away game against Southampton.
That has a ready-made recipe for success for Fantasy Premier League managers, who can’t be faulted for investing heavily on Liverpool players based on their favorable fixture list.
But a big conundrum that has popped up is who plays upfront for the Reds.
Diogo Jota is still nursing an injury and it’s still not 100% sure when he’ll return.
That is making many users turn their attentions towards Darwin Nunez, who got an assist in the draw against Arsenal.
At £7.1, the Uruguayan forward is definitely economical.
But Nunez is a temperamental striker whose form is utterly unpredictable, causing a lot of chatter on whether or whether not to pick him.
Pros to picking Nunez
The positive thing about Nunez is that his form appears to have improved just prior to these big games.
With the assist against Arsenal, he gained a lot of confidence and started getting into a goal contributing rhythm.
The Uruguayan forward had 22 goal contributions (11 goals, 11 assists) in the Premier League last season and that form has got to return eventfully in Arne Slot’s system.
He looked more at ease against Arsenal and appears to have discovered his best role under the Dutchman, which involves dropping deep often to help create chances.
Nunez is also timing his runs much better now, as proven with his movement prior to Mohamed Salah’s goal against the Gunners.
That can do him a lot of good in Liverpool’s upcoming games against Brighton, Aston Villa and Southampton.
That is probably all three of these teams employ a high defensive line and like to position defenders bit higher up to play the offside trap.
This makes picking any Liverpool forward a viable option, with Nunez being the cheapest option there is now.
The Uruguayan can probably thrive against the high defensive line, that should allow him to move through on goal more times and exponentially raise his goal-scoring possibility.
Cons of Choosing Nunez
Of course, there is always an element of risk when picking Nunez in FPL.
The Uruguayan forward is not exactly a bang-on starter in Arne Slot’s side like someone like Mohamed Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold, who have started all nine Premier League games so far this season.
His numbers over the start of the 2024/25 campaign have not been the most glittering either.
Nunez only has one goal and one assist so far, with his only goal coming in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
He’s been an unused substitute in multiple Premier League games this season and there’s also Cody Gakpo to compete with for that forward place.
Plus if Jota somehow makes an early recovery, splurging 7.1 on Nunez can look foolish as he’ll probably be restricted to the bench.
For those in two minds about whether to spend that much on the Liverpool forward or not, there are other options out there.
The £6.4m Chris Wood is probably the most value-for-money forward in FPL, having already scored seven goals in nine games.
Danny Welbeck has also started the season well, with six goals already. At 5.9, he’s another valuable economical pick.
So is Brentford forward Yoane Wissa (£5.9), who’s next opponents include Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton and Leicester City.
Picking a cheaper striker than Nunez can also allow an FPL manager to use the excess funds on improving other positions. Perhaps it can give you that added boost needed to get Trent Alexander-Arnold or Salah in the team.
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