Player Analysis: Darwin Núñez

On the origin of species, in footballing terms at least; tall, aerially shrewd strikers would serve such purpose: stay central, saunter into dangerous areas, score and assist goals. Since the turn of the century, Didier Drogba and Robert Lewandowski have both mastered that purpose, phasing it into the modern game so proficiently. But in the age of unrivaled athleticism and unrelenting tempo, the traditional target man role is becoming increasingly bereft of benefit to many teams. 

As a result, those strikers that are typically weaponised as a spearhead have transitioned into a role that would be more accurately depicted by the fragments of a shotgun shell. Both unpredictable and widespread in positioning, thus equally intimidating for central defenders staring down the barrel, as well as those surrounding them who could succumb to the scattered approach. 

Darwin Núñez is a shotgun striker, so to speak. His movement menacingly incalculable, whilst his killer instincts remain a factor for his foes to be wary of, worried about, but with little by way of averting the inevitable. In no uncertain terms, the inevitable tends to be the Benfica forward’s rocket-fuelled right foot – with which he has scored six of his eight goals for As Águias – but his overpowering presence appears in many forms. 

Whether a teammate has the ball on the halfway line or the byline in an attacking phase, Núñez’s positional intelligence cannot be understated. It’s almost as if he stops time for a split second with his team in transition, assesses the situation before making his decision. From one attack to another, he optimises different channels as a strategic ploy to play off the defender best suited to be his prey, and though he may not always find the ball at his feet, his movement so often creates successful attacking actions for his team.