'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Premier League icon Alan Shearer has backed Liverpool to defeat Nottingham Forest and continue their dominant start to the 2024-25 Premier League. The two sides lock horns at Anfield on Saturday, September 14.
Arne Slot has gotten off to a dream start with the Reds, winning his first three games while maintaining clean sheets in each of their victories. Liverpool are currently second in the league standings with nine points, behind rivals Manchester City.
On the other hand, Nottingham are also unbeaten, but less convincingly - having accumulated five points from one win and two draws. Shearer believes the Reds are more than capable of keeping a fourth-straight clean sheet. He wrote (via METRO):
"It will be too much for Nottingham Forest at Anfield. I think they may try and shut up shop but with the form Liverpool are in, the way they’re playing and the confidence they’ll have, they’ll have too much for Forest."
He added:
"It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Liverpool were to win and keep a clean sheet again, so I will go for a home win in what will be a superb start to the season for Arne Slot."
The Reds are unbeaten in their last 25 home league games against Forest, winning 20 and drawing five. Moreover, they have won their last six in a row and remain the favorites to make it seven on Saturday.
Former Liverpool director reveals why the Reds signed Darwin Nunez over Erling Haaland
Liverpool’s former director of research Ian Graham recently revealed why Jurgen Klopp and company opted to sign Darwin Nunez instead of Erling Haaland in the summer of 2022. The latter has gone on to win back-to-back Golden Boot awards and has become one of the best forwards in the world.
The Reds opted to dip into the market for a new forward to provide competition for Roberto Firmino. Despite Haaland being available for £51.3 million, his wage demands of £375,000 per week proved too much for the Merseysiders.
Instead, they chose to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica for a reported figure of £64 million. In a segment with Sky Sports, Graham explained (via Rousing the Kop):
“Darwin looked like one of the best young strikers in Europe. Haaland was the obvious one, but he was out of Liverpool’s financial range. The transfer fee is not that big a component of the total spend on Haaland. So, Haaland was out of the equation."
He continued:
“Darwin was a centre-forward who did centre-forward things. So the question was, [Roberto] Firmino’s getting older and we are going to have to replace him eventually. Would the coach be comfortable with the slight change of style that Darwin is going to bring?"
“I can only see it from the outside now, so I don’t have any special insight into it, but the interesting thing is that with the amount of shots Darwin takes, you would expect him to be taking some from Mo [Salah], but he doesn’t seem to be taking that many shots from Mo," Ian Graham said.
Nunez has yet to show his true potential at Anfield but has made a decent start, garnering 33 goals and 17 assists in 98 appearances across competitions. Meanwhile, Haaland has scored 97 goals and provided 14 assists in 102 appearances for Man City.
