Shock as Darwin Nunez proves he can actually play football at Liverpool after four-goal haul – The Warm-Up
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Updated 22/07/2022 at 07:59 GMT
There was a Darwin Nunez pile-on before he had even kicked a Premier League ball, so hopefully the trolls have been silenced by his pre-season four-goal haul against RB Leipzig. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp of course got it right afterwards too. Elsewhere, another semi-final for Germany, a move for Jesse Lingard, and anger for Manuel Neuer’s taxi driver.
Darwin Nunez of Liverpool with the hat-trick ball at the end of the pre-season friendly match between RB Leipzig and Liverpool FC
Image credit: Getty Images
FRIDAY’S BIG STORIES
Four for Nunez
Pre-season was already getting too much with the hourly updates of Manchester United’s tour under Erik ten Hag, but what took the biscuit was Troll Twitter going into overdrive over a couple of Darwin Nunez clips during training and in the recent friendly against United.
Before even kicking a Premier League ball the pile-on had started on Liverpool’s summer signing, baseless hyperbole swirling around, labelling Nunez a flop just hours into his life as a Liverpool player based on the fact he wasn’t sticking every chance presented to him into the top corner.
So, with a great deal of relief, and without a *shush* celebration that would have been entirely justified, Nunez scored four second-half goals in the friendly win over RB Leipzig last night to hopefully silence those ridiculously early critics.
Turns out a professional footballer who represents his nation and is scoring at a rate of a goal every other game throughout his career so far can actually play football after all. Who’d have thunk it, and, of course, Jurgen Klopp hit the nail on the head afterwards.
“They are all completely normal human beings and the first touch is not perfect then all of a sudden…” Klopp said. “This generation of players read social media, which is really not smart, but they do. All of a sudden you get in a rush and these kinds of things.
“That’s the best way obviously to stop all these discussions. He’s a different striker to what we have or what we had, but he’s a really good one.”
Grand. Let’s all put that one to bed then, shall we.
Last four for Germany
Germany are into a semi-final. It just sounds right. In the European Championships alone, it has happened 18 times. On eight occasions for the men, and now a staggering 10 times for the women after they reached the last four last night with victory over Austria.
They’ve been there, done that, bought the T-shirt as the eight-time winners of this competition, but after the 2017 quarter-final exit this current crop are well and truly out to restore the normal order – the order that saw them win the event on six straight occasions from 1995 to 2013.
Who would bet against them? Well, they could take some stopping, for despite riding their luck at times with Austria hitting the woodwork three times, Germany could have put the game to bed themselves last night on a couple of occasions before they got a helping hand from Austria’s goalkeeper.
A semi-final against the Netherlands or France awaits, making for a blockbuster showdown either way, but when push comes to shove, the Germans could be difficult to budge.
Forest making moves
File this one under marquee signing, as few would have believed a few months ago that Jesse Lingard would have signed a one-year deal with Nottingham Forest ahead of the 2022-23 season.
After leaving Manchester United for pastures new, the belief was that a return to West Ham was on the cards, the club that helped restore to England international level – but alas, he has chosen newly-promoted Forest…
Why?
Well, there were a rumoured two-hundred thousand reasons (weekly) why, when reports spread that Lingard was reportedly pocketing almost £200,000 a week at Forest. If that's correct, as The Guardian allege, then well done Jesse Lingard’s agent.
The Telegraph, however, have slashed that figure to £80,000 a week, with bonuses potentially taking it to £120,000. Still astonishingly healthy, but probably the going rate in the money-flowing arena of football.
Just to complicate matters further, others have claimed Lingard is on £115,000 a week, with add-ons set to make that soar.
Anyway. Good luck to him. Onwards.
IN OTHER NEWS
Stingy Neuer?
Did you hear the one about the taxi driver trekking 75-odd miles to return Manuel Neuer’s wallet that contained around 800 euros and was then furious about receiving *just* a jersey as a thank you?
Well, if you didn’t, we’ve basically told the gist of the story, but it’s glorious nonetheless.
"This finder's fee is a mockery! I have four children," the taxi driver told Sky Germany… "I can't do anything with the jersey!"
IN THE CHANNELS
Chris Kirkland, former England and Liverpool goalkeeper, admirably doing the rounds to discuss his addiction to painkillers. All you can say to that is well done for speaking out.
RETRO CORNER
Twenty years since Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United. That makes me old, but as the tweet says, the rest is history.
COMING UP
The third Euro 2022 quarter-final! And tonight we find out which team England will face in the last four next week… Sweden or Belgium? Follow our blog tonight to find out.
And don’t forget the Tour de France – down to the final three stages!
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