‘Captain Chaos’ at the Copa America: Darwin Nunez out to prove he can lead Uruguay into a new era

Nunez arrived in Liverpool in 2022 with a massive price tag and even greater expectations. The former Benfica striker had impressed at Benfica the season before – most notably tearing up the Reds in a Champions League contest. He was a different kind of forward to the inverted wingers that Jurgen Klopp tended to deploy at the time, but that mattered little to the wider footballing world – which swiftly billed the season as a race between Nunez and Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

In reality, Nunez got nowhere near Haaland. While the Man City striker smashed the Premier League’s single season goal-scoring record, Nunez was in and out of the Liverpool side, struggling to carve out a niche in a misfiring team jammed full of left sided forwards. His manager preached patience throughout – and Nunez managed a respectable 15 goals in all competitions – but the Uruguayan was better known for the chances he missed than the ones he smashed home.

Liverpool underwent significant change prior to the 2023-24 season. Long-time centre-forward, and the man keeping Nunez out of the side, Roberto Firmino departed for the Saudi Pro League. Meanwhile, a midfield that had effectively collapsed at the end of the previous campaign was replaced entirely. Throw in a refreshed system, more chaotic setup, and Nunez had the kind of stage he needed to build on his mixed debut campaign.

In the early goings of the season, he did just that. Nunez still wasn’t the clinical presence many fans hoped he would be, but the Uruguayan started to find the net with more regularity. There was a memorable brace in the final minutes to beat Newcastle at St. James Park, a dominant showing against LASK in the Europa League, and an emphatic strike to send Bournemouth out of the Carabao Cup. He still provided some signature misses – enough to fill YouTube highlight reels. But this was certainly a more clinical finisher – “captain chaos” had added the goals.

A clinical finisher, that is, until he wasn’t. Nunez scored eight goals and added seven assists in his first 24 games of the Premier League campaign. His numbers dropped off a cliff after that. He still appeared in all of the big games for Jurgen Klopp’s side, but the goals dried up. A couple of knocks certainly didn’t help. However, more broadly, Nunez was just repeatedly missing chances. He blew efforts against Luton and Manchester United, and squandered a crucial opportunity against Manchester City in what could have been a pivotal win in the title race.

By April, Nunez had effectively fallen out of the XI for good, watching from the bench for long stretches – despite suffering no apparent injury. Klopp insisted that his absence was part of normal rotation, but it was clear that something had gone awry.

Jamie Carragher, a long-time backer of Nunez, speculated that it might be time to move on from the Uruguayan: “You are looking at it now and after two years, I don’t think there is going to be a massive improvement in him. What we have seen in the last two years is what he is. He can cause trouble, he can be erratic with his finishing. I don’t think it is going to be enough to win you the biggest trophies so I think there is a big decision to be made on him in the summer.”

Nunez, in a little attempt to throw cold water on the speculation, removed all Liverpool content from his Instagram. His time at Anfield may genuinely be up.

Still, despite all of his struggles at a club level, Nunez has always managed to perform for his national team. Such has been the case under Marcelo Bielsa. Since taking the job in May 2023, the outspoken manager has reformed the way La Celeste play.

Gone are the lethargic, predictable patterns that came towards the end of the Suarez-Edison Cavani strike partnership era. Instead, this team is far more expansive and exciting. They press high, attack down the wings, and stretch the field. The result is a fluid but fiercely direct system – one that gives Nunez plenty of grass to scamper into. It’s all geared towards the striker.

“(Bielsa) showed me some of my matches, he corrected some things I’d done. For example, there’s a play where all of the opposition team are back, (where he says) ‘Don’t run in front of the second centre-back, run in behind’. So that the centre-back loses me,” Nunez revealed in September 2023.

His numbers, and performances, improved accordingly. Nunez played a pivotal role in Uruguay’s World Cup qualifying fixtures at the end of 2023, scoring five goals in four games. During that spell, Uruguay battered Brazil at home, beat Argentina on the road, and managed a hard-earned 2-2 away draw with an ever-improving Colombia side.

More recently, things look the same. Nunez started La Celeste’s Copa America warmup game against a languid Mexico, and ran rampant. He scored three of his side’s four in a convincing victory.

Last winter, it seemed that Suarez had dropped out of the Uruguay setup for good. Bielsa’s first squad omitted both him and Cavani – signaling the end of an era for the national team. Suarez himself admitted that he might not play for his country again, and speculated that persistent knee problems could force him out of the sport altogether.

But a resurgence for Inter Miami has changed things. After linking up with former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, the aging striker has recaptured something resembling his old self. He has scored 12 and assisted five in MLS, production enough to play his way back into the national team setup. His relationship with Nunez has been crucial over the past few months. Suarez has repeatedly sung Nunez’s praises – well aware of the pressure that comes with wearing the Liverpool shirt.

And earlier this week, Nunez gave up the No.9 shirt and handed it to the 37-year-old – a signal that he still perhaps has a role to play at the national level. How, exactly, that looks will be interesting to see. Suarez cannot play 90 minutes for the senior national team. He might not even be able to play 45. But he could be a reliable backup for La Celeste – especially in tighter games. And for Nunez, who is still very much learning how to play at the national level, he will undoubtedly be a crucial influence.

So we arrive at the question of Copa America glory. Argentina are the clear favourites here. They have more talent and experience than everyone else, international football’s second all-time top goal-scorer, and the impetus to give Messi a fine send-off in what could be his last international tournament.

Outside of them lies a glut of potential contenders. Brazil will always have something to offer, but they’re a side in between generations – and lacking in a world-class manager. Colombia and Ecuador also look good, while the USMNT could spring an upset. Somewhere in that gaggle of teams lies Uruguay. They have shown, in recent months, that they can compete with pretty much anyone – and even comprehensively beat some of the biggest teams out there.

But to do so, they will put their faith in a striker who is admittedly hard to rely on. When Nunez is at his best, there are few better forwards in world football. At his worst, there isn’t a more frustrating footballer out there. Uruguay will have to hope the former shows up.