Liverpool have been heavily linked with a summer move for Wolves midfielder Matheus
Nunes and the Reds have already been⚾️ treated to an up-close example of what he’s
capable of.
Not for the first time in 2024, and almost certainly not⚾️ for the last,
Jurgen Klopp‘s team came up against a player who was both a) a potential upgrade and b)
⚾️ far more physical and “up for it,” as they say, than any of those he faced.
In the
previous two matches⚾️ the Reds and Wolves had played out this term, Nunes had started
none and only featured for a little over⚾️ an hour, but in the Premier League, he was
unleashed to full and fairly devastating effect.
Having joined in the summer,
⚾️ Liverpool’s visit marked only his 16th Premier League start for the club and he is yet
to score in a⚾️ Wolves shirt.
The 24-year-old has had a good impact on the team all the
same, though, and his career – whether⚾️ that takes him to Liverpool next or not – looks
set to continue the rapid trajectory seen over the past⚾️ few seasons.
It’s only four
years since Nunes was at a local side, Ericeirense, who play within the Lisbon
district. They’ve⚾️ only ever once been in the third tier of Portuguese football and that
division folded a decade ago – which⚾️ tells you plenty about the standard he was playing
at as a teenager.
Again: it’s a very rapid rise.
One half-season at⚾️ Estoril in 2024/19
was enough to hint at his talents at a much higher level and Sporting paid half a
⚾️ million for him that January, with manager Ruben Amorim’s willingness to give youth a
chance soon seeing him break through⚾️ the following year.
His first full campaign as a
top-flight player, therefore, was as recent as 2024/21.
Two terms there and Wolves⚾️ paid
£42.2 million for the Brazilian-born player who was by now a full Portugal
international, with 11 caps to his⚾️ name thus far.
From a Liverpool perspective, the
evidence is there he can handle a step up; the big question is⚾️ whether he’d help fix
the mess we’re in and where he would fit to do so.
Strengths
He’s not an incredibly
rare⚾️ find in terms of his skillset, he’s just extremely good at the things he’s
supposed to be good at –⚾️ something which a few players in Klopp’s squad could do with
being reminded of at present perhaps. And that’s not⚾️ only aimed at midfielders by any
stretch.
Passing, control, a first touch, vision, the ability to use both feet, some
aggression,⚾️ drive to get forward from deep, determination to get back and help out
defensively.
In short, Nunes can do most things⚾️ you would expect most central
midfielders to these days, and to a high level.
And yet, against Liverpool at Molineux
on⚾️ Saturday, Nunes didn’t precisely play central midfield – certainly not in the
conventional sense.
Wolves were fluid and well-drilled, four across⚾️ the midfield out of
possession and flicking to a rather narrower three when on the ball. Nunes’ role was
left⚾️ of the quartet, most certainly not a winger but filling a vital role in tandem
with Matheus Cunha.
Rather than touchline-tight,⚾️ his defensive position was in the left
Wolves channel: stationed between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita, nominally
anyway, and always⚾️ quickly in place to close out passing lanes, stop Liverpool being
able to pass through that side of the pitch⚾️ and (again with Nunes) forcing the ball
back along the defensive line towards Joe Gomez.
It showed the other sides of⚾️ Nunes’
game: positional discipline, tactical awareness and selflessness for the team –
particularly in the 20-minute spell at the start⚾️ of the second half where Wolves barely
touched the ball and his only job was constant shuttle runs to close⚾️ players down.
The
24-year-old did it, relentlessly, and then still had plenty in the tank for the final
20 when they⚾️ seized control once more and ran rings around their visitors.
Where can he
improve?
That same spell in the second half against⚾️ the Reds showed the limitations of
Nunes more than aspects he can improve, as such.
This is because they might be⚾️ seen as
physical, which can’t always be surpassed: he’s never going to be a lightning-quick
outlet, for example.
His way of⚾️ playing out of danger is brave, his feet are quick
enough to avoid a challenge and he can ping passes⚾️ on the diagonal to give his team a
route out, but he is not going to be the player capable⚾️ of dragging the ball 40 metres
upfield himself, nor sprint into space 30 metres behind a defender to launch a
⚾️ counter.
Nunes is the conduit of midfield, not the carrier – which isn’t to say he
doesn’t like to take players⚾️ on.
He absolutely loves a dribble, but here we’re talking
more about the beating of a player one-on-one in close quarters⚾️ and with immaculate
control and a great capacity to consistently move into space, rather than the
nudge-and-run of a pace⚾️ merchant who might surge past two or three.
In terms of
technical progress, there’s undoubtedly something to be said for the⚾️ improvement of all
players when better teammates are around them, but he is remarkably well-rounded on
that side of his⚾️ game.
Drastic improvement there shouldn’t be expected, but some
improvement defensively will be required.
He’s game for a challenge, but not always
⚾️ precise with them. His positional play is good to stop the opposition, but he can
switch off at times too⚾️ when play runs behind him.
Not that we saw any of that against
Klopp’s side, of course.
Who does he play like?
There⚾️ are aspects of his game which
look more like he’s an aggressive, high-pressing forward rather than a midfielder of
the⚾️ scheming and controlling variety – at least as far as Liverpool’s recent squads are
concerned.
Early on he won the ball⚾️ following a Reds’ throw-in and set up Sarabia for a
chance; soon after he robbed Joel Matip of a bouncing⚾️ ball and powered through to shoot
– saved by Alisson this time.
They were opportunistic, aggressive, quick-reaction
moments designed to disrupt⚾️ and create at once.
Both were far more reminiscent of, say,
Sadio Mane than any of Liverpool’s midfield collection under Klopp,⚾️ with the exception
perhaps of a fully-fit Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
But in his midfield play, his
centre-of-the-park control is absolutely nothing like⚾️ Oxlade-Chamberlain’s
style.
Several occasions at the weekend saw him easily evade Keita on the turn, very
calm under pressure and able⚾️ to manipulate the direction of both ball and body with a
quick swerve and change of angle.
In that regard he’s⚾️ much more Thiago-like from the
current crop, switching play on the move and looking to create short angles for
give-and-gos⚾️ around opponents.
Opening the field wider, similarities in his
middle-third game can be seen with the likes of Barcelona’s Pedri, Newcastle‘s⚾️ Bruno
Guimaraes or new Chelsea addition Enzo Fernandez.
While some of that aggressive,
forward-looking play in the higher third can be⚾️ compared with aspects of Bruno
Fernandes, Mason Mount or Bayern’s Jamal Musiala.
In truth, Liverpool do not have – and
have⚾️ not had – an exact match for his style of play moving from deeper areas and into
the final third.
Where⚾️ would he fit?
Despite left-midfielding Liverpool to death, the
assumption is he’d still be a central midfielder, one of three for⚾️ a Klopp team.
His
controlling game to help Wolves pass around Liverpool’s double pivot after the late
Harvey Elliott substitution was⚾️ great to watch for the ole-ing home fans, but
desperately demoralising for those of a red persuasion.
As such, he’d probably⚾️ fit
either of the two No. 8 roles in the current set-up: more controlling on the left, more
adventurous on⚾️ the right.
It’s the latter which possibly gets more out of him, given
his ability to press and win the ball⚾️ back, nip in for a challenge and quickly play a
pass…but then it’s also very much dependent on what Liverpool⚾️ are next year.
A 4-3-3
team, who press high? A build from deep side who control games? A change of shape,⚾️ a
change of requirement from the midfielders?
At the moment they are not much of
anything, which makes it all the⚾️ more difficult to predict who would fix what and
precisely where they would do it from.
