With Arne Slot making more changes than ever before to his Liverpool lineup to face Bournemouth, the head coach explained his decision to start Darwin Nunez.
Slot has begun to rotate his side during a busy period between now and the October international break, with two changes in midweek and four on Saturday.
The side to play Bournemouth has seen Andy Robertson, Luis Diaz and Nunez brought in for Kostas Tsimikas, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota, while Caoimhin Kelleher has replaced the injured Alisson.
Having seen Liverpool struggle against Nottingham Forest despite dominating possession a week previous, Slot suggested pre-match that Nunez’s inclusion was with a view to capitalising on this against Bournemouth.
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“I think he’s a presence inside the box and I’m hoping that we are a lot in and around their box today,” he explained.
“He’s proven so many years now that he can score goals, so hopefully we can bring him as much as we can in the position for him to be a threat.
“And without the ball, I’m expecting him to put in the same work rate like all the others have done until now.”
Meanwhile, there was no place on the bench for Wataru Endo, despite fellow midfielders Tyler Morton and Trey Nyoni both starting for the U21s instead.
Endo’s absence is believed to be simply due to competition for places, with Federico Chiesa taking his spot on the bench for his first time in the Premier League squad.
Slot is planning to increase Chiesa’s game time in the coming weeks as the £12.5 million adjusts to his new surroundings, with it likely that he turns to him again on Saturday.
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