Following the disastrous 0-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest (just two weeks ago), there was a collective sigh from the fanbase as a great start by the new Head Coach, Arne Slot, was heavily dampened by defeat against a team that should have been brushed aside by the six-time European Champions.
Once my obvious and immediate disappointment had receded, I collected my thoughts and considered that this valuable lesson in combatting the famous low block enterprise (perfected by many Premier League teams), could act as the spring board to a new tactical innovation by the former Feyenoord manager.
What we have seen in the aftermath of that stunning result is a team able to rebound crush the giants of the San Siro, AC Milan, before batting away a solid Bournemouth team. Just this midweek and after that win over the Cherries, the Kop was witness to their red men dismantling West ham in the EFL Cup third round, to fully exorcise the demons created by defeat.
It is apparent that altered patterns of play are being coached into the group of six forwards within the squad, that have allowed the likes of Luis Díaz, Cody, Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah, to shine bright in various early season fixtures.
Considering the slow transition back to full fitness of Federico Chiesa, the Italian international will of course be allowed adequate time to integrate himself into the mindset of the new boss, however, the duo of Darwin Núñez, and his Portuguese teammate, Diogo Jota, appear to be competing with one another for that central striking position. I imagine this in-house rivalry (for minutes) is a subconscious message to the two centre forwards, one that is clearly having a strong influence on recent performances.
Should Jota Come Back into The Side at The Weekend?
For the most recent Premier League encounter against Bournemouth (as well as the Cup win over the Hammers), it has been the Uruguayan Raging Bull who has started in that central striking position ahead of the 27-year-old, Jota.
The former Wolves attacker came back into the side for the visit of West Ham (after being rested against Bournemouth), however, that was in a secondary striking position behind his 6ft 2inch stablemate, Darwin. The 29-cap Uruguay international produced a very fine goal scoring performance at the weekend, which enabled him to hold onto this place for the midweek showdown with Julen Lopetegui’s side.
That second successive start for the former Benfica hitman saw him play a full quota of minutes in the 5-1 win, which could point to a shift back to the bench for the weekend, despite assisting late on.
As for the 44-cap Portuguese international, Jota, he has enjoyed a solid start to the season, though has perhaps been the most underwhelming common starter in the group of attackers.
The former F.C. Paços de Ferreira academy graduate surged back with a two-goal effort against a surprised Hammers team last Saturday after losing his starting place (against Bournemouth).
I predict that the penalty box poacher will return to the center striker position for the trip to Molineux after making an early substitute in the second half and scoring a brace on Wednesday night.
Darwin hasn’t made many mistakes in the last two games, but the task is still there. The precedent for continued selection has been made very clear by the new leadership and all assets will need to maintain their levels if they are to grab their starting spots.
