The Núñez-Salah Assist Partnership the Longest Run in Liverpool’s Premier League – A Budding Duo?

History is filled with great duos. Mulder and Scully, Holmes and Watson, Sonny and Cher…but, let’s face it, most of them are found in the sporting world. Kane and Son, Iniesta and Messi and, of course, Nunez and Salah are all making history as some of football’s most iconic duos – not just of the twenty-first century, but of all time.

But there’s something special about the Nunez and Salah pairing. Throughout the 2022/23 season fans enjoyed glimpses of the dream team in the making, but, by 2023, the stage was set. Nunez himself has affirmed his position in the team after a somewhat rocky start, and Salah has retained his status as one of the greatest goal scorers in the team’s history. So far, the season has been a crash course in just how well things can go when Person A meets Person B. 

From the bookmakers at 32 red sport to the fans in the stadium, it’s safe to say that, for 90 minutes (or so) each gameweek, all eyes are trained on these two talents. 

What makes them so good together? 

The two are consistently demonstrating their keen understanding of one another. There were questions about where Núñez would be deployed across Liverpool’s front line last season, and the same question persisted going into this season. The central striker position had been claimed by Cody Gakpo at the end of last season, which was where Núñez’s future appeared to lie. His skills as a ‘9’ are far more traditional compared with those shown by Gakpo, so they are stylistically different, meaning to swap one in and one out wouldn’t be flush. His time at left wing last season wasn’t as fruitful as his time as a ‘9’. So, this season, he had to claim the ‘9’ position as his own.

He has done that, with Salah helping. Núñez’s directness, his off-the-shoulder runs, and poaching instinct complements Salah’s pivot to being a creator. The Uruguayan’s magnetism in the penalty area attracts defenders which has started to create space for Salah for Núñez to return the favour, and assist Salah for numerous goals.

Núñez’s passing ability isn’t as expansive as Salah’s. Whereas Salah can create chances for his teammates from a variety of positions, with different passing techniques, Núñez’s chance creation comes from short simple passes – either as returns or layoffs – or fierce low crosses across the face of goal. However, this is ideal. Nùńez’s key skills are most pronounced when he is running into open space 1v1 with or without the ball and acting quickly in the box. Getting Nùńez in the box gives something for Salah to aim for or play off of closer to the goal. 

Next Season’s Evolution of Liverpool

There will always be questions for Liverpool heading into the new season. Next year will be no different., and the key question could be how Liverpool cope without Mo Salah. His links to Saudi Arabia over this summer’s transfer window won’t be the end of their pursuit. Liverpool may be tempted to cash-in provided the deal can be done early in 2024 summer window, giving them time to find a replacement. But that replacement will have to give Núñez what Salah does – which is hard. They will have to be a creator, and they will have to arrive in spaces that compliment Nùńez. If Liverpool can do that, the question becomes less about Salah and more about Nùńez.

The bottom line is that, right now, Liverpool is once again hitting its stride after a tricky season grappling against an old midfield. While, at present, they’re still short of the top of the table there’s a strong chance that the Reds will regain the footing they had in 2020, and we know for sure that Nùńez and Salah will be at the very head of the ship. 

Written by Alan Spencer