Liverpool star called out for making team-mate ‘claustrophobic’ ahead of Ipswich clash

Joe Williams
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah during a Premier League match.

Paul Merson claims Darwin Nunez makes Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah “claustrophobic” when they are on the pitch at the same time.

The Reds are having a brilliant season in the Premier League with Arne Slot guiding them to the top of the table in his first season in charge.

Slot could hardly have wished for a better start to his Liverpool tenure after leaving Feyenoord in the summer to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Liverpool are currently six points clear of second-placed Arsenal in the standings with the Reds also possessing a game in hand on their closest rivals.

The Reds face relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon with title rivals Arsenal and Nottingham Forest playing at the same time.

Nunez has been struggling to make an impact this season, although he was brilliant off the bench against Brentford in their last match and now Arsenal legend Merson reckons the Uruguayan makes Liverpool superstar Salah “a bit claustrophobic”.

Predicting the outcome of the Ipswich match, Merson told Sportskeeda: “Liverpool just need to keep winning. After their late win at Brentford and the midweek triumph over Lille in the Champions League, they couldn’t have asked for a better fixture than Ipswich at home next! If you are part of the chasing pack, you look at this fixture and go, ‘oh, no’ because this is a game Liverpool can win.

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“Ipswich must write this game off and focus on the next game against Southampton. I know it sounds unfortunate, but that is the only way they will avoid relegation in my opinion. When you are languishing towards the bottom of the table, you need to know which games you can have a go at and Liverpool away from home isn’t one of them.

“I know Darwin Nunez produced an incredible cameo off the bench against Brentford. But I’m still now sure he should start this game as the centre-forward. Mohamed Salah is a better player when Nunez is not in the team! Nunez stays up front and when he does that, it makes Salah a bit claustrophobic in my opinion.

“When it’s open play, Nunez is a good player. We saw that against Brentford at the end when it was like a basketball game with end-to-end action. In a game like the next one against Ipswich, where the visitors are likely to put 10 men behind the ball, I don’t think it’s wise to play Nunez.

“If Liverpool turn up with a good attitude, they should win this game quite easily. Honestly, the scoreline does not matter for them. They should only focus on the result. Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich Town.”