Former Liverpool cult hero Peter Crouch admitted that he does not expect Darwin Nunez will be too "happy" as he was left on the bench for the Reds' opening game of the season.
New head coach Arne Slot preferred Portuguese poacher Diogo Jota as the focal point of his attack for the trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town. Looking to become only the second Liverpool boss in Premier League history to win his first game in charge, his decision to name Jota from the start proved inspired.
The former Wolves forward grabbed the Reds' opener in a comfortable 2-0 victory and was one of the Merseysiders' best performers on the day alongside fellow goalscorer Mohamed Salah . Eventually, Jota was replaced by Cody Gakpo in the second half - with Nunez an unused substitute in the win.
READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Ipswich as Mohamed Salah and five more impress
READ MORE: Joe Gomez left out of Liverpool squad vs Ipswich Town as Chelsea shows transfer interest
Now, ex-Reds striker Crouch has provided some insight into how the Uruguayan will likely be feeling as he failed to gain any minutes versus the Tractor Boys. The Kop fan favorite admitted that the star may be left dejected, saying: "Obviously Nunez won't be happy. He's been on the bench today.
"I know what that's like being in a Liverpool today and someone is coming on ahead of you," he continued, as he pointed to the fact that two center-forwards were effectively preferred to him at Portman Road. "I think Gakpo come on ahead of him. He will be disappointed but looks like Jota's got the shirt at the moment."
As for the showing from Jota, the former England stalwart praised his contributions, adding: "He's a goalscorer. He's so good in the air for someone his size. He had a massive chance that he actually missed. He's just one of those players who gets in the right place at the right time.
The quick-fire goals from Jota and Salah midway through the second half clearly left head coach Slot impressed too as he spoke positively about the performance after the break. He said: "The first taste in the first half was as expected, they were all on top of us. Very aggressive. We couldn't find the rhythm. The second half was a joy to watch."
The Reds failed to really lay a glove on their opponents in the first half of proceedings, with Ipswich boosted by the carnival-like atmosphere among the home supporters. The Premier League newcomers matched Liverpool in the opening period, with the lack of dominance from Slot's side not lost on the Dutchman.
Unimpressed with aspects of the performance, the new Kop boss resolved to make a chance at the interval as youngster Jarell Quansah was replaced by Ibrahima Konate. Explaining the reasoning behind this tactical switch, Slot asserted that he was left underwhelmed by the team's showing in terms of contesting duels.
He said: "First thing I said is we don't have to speak about tactics if we lose so many duels and that was what we did. Not that Jarell [Quansah] lost every duel - many of us lost too many duels. But I think we needed Ibou Konate to win these long balls in the air from their No.9."
Most Popular
Comments / 0