John Aldridge
I agree with Jurgen Klopp about Darwin Nunez. He’s been desperately unlucky in front of goal at times and can’t do much more. But he’s still contributing.
You ask any defender who they’d rather face from our forward line and I think most of them, and I’ve asked ex-players, they’d say they would least like to get up against him because he’s a jack in the box.
He puts his head, he puts his foot in, he doesn’t stop, he gets his head down, he doesn’t stop moving.
But from a striker’s point of view, I’ve got to be critical of him for being offside too much.
I like the fact that he’s on the shoulder of the centre-half, but sometimes he has to get in front of them and make his runs off them, bending his runs in. He has the pace to do it.
When balls come up, against Arsenal for example and we were under the cosh, he didn’t get in front.
Balls were coming up to him from the defence, and as a centre-forward, you’ve got to get in front of the centre-halves and hold the ball up.
To take the pressure off, you’ve got to hold the ball up. That’s part of his game he can get better at. His scoring will also improve, it will happen.
At this moment in time, he’s not a one in two player. But he could easily be a one in three, and be better as he gets older and gains more experience.
The kids are all right - but we need to be careful
When one door closes, another one opens for someone. After losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury, I thought Conor Bradley did brilliantly against Fulham.
He’s got decent experience with Northern Ireland. He’s got good experience in the lower leagues, which toughens you up. You look at him and what you see is what you get.
He’s played Gaelic football and anyone who’s played Gaelic football when they’re young, as well as football, knows it toughens you up. Take it from me, it’s a tough, tough game. That only adds up. Kelleher’s done it as well.
It toughens you up physically as well and it’s a great game. It’s a tough game, and he’s tough. He’s a tough lad, he gets stuck in.
He’s got good pace. He’s only played a couple of games but the more he plays, the better he’ll get. He’s got great potential.
I do keep an eye on the Academy too, I watch it on LFC TV and I used to do the commentary. As a former striker, I’m obviously looking out for the young forwards too.
I saw Jayden Danns scored again this weekend, though this time his first for the Under-21s. He looks a very good player. But I said that about Jordon Ibe, so I’ve got to be careful.
I blew Jordon Ibe up. I thought, when Raheem Sterling went, that his lad would be good, if not better. That’s what happens, some fall away. Liverpool got really good money for him, and he fell away.
So I don’t get overly excited with the young kids. I just hope that when they show the promise they’ve got, that they can excel and play for Liverpool. Like Conor did last week.
He’s almost come out of obscurity and people have gone, ‘Ooooh, he’s good!’ Ben Doak came and you go, ‘Woah, he’s got so much promise.’ I just want these lads to excel at Liverpool, if they can.
When they get to 18 or 19, they seem to kick on or they diminish. They end up going one way or the other.
I just hope the lad, Danns, keeps on doing what we’re seeing at the moment. He keeps scoring goals and he keeps on progressing.
He’s at the right club to get a chance with Jurgen Klopp, because he’s very fair with the kids.
He may have to go out on loan somewhere at some point because he’s still very young and perhaps not yet ready, but let’s hope he keeps on progressing like Conor has.
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