{"id":1332147,"date":"2023-11-22T10:50:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T10:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1332147"},"modified":"2023-11-22T12:34:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T12:34:38","slug":"glen-johnson-backs-unique-darwin-nunez-to-break-into-europes-elite-ahead-of-man-city-v-liverpool","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/glen-johnson-backs-unique-darwin-nunez-to-break-into-europes-elite-ahead-of-man-city-v-liverpool\/","title":{"rendered":"Glen Johnson backs &#8220;unique&#8221; Darwin Nunez to break into Europe&#8217;s elite ahead of Man City v Liverpool"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Can Virgil van Dijk stop Erling Haaland in Manchester City v Liverpool this Saturday? City&#8217;s defence may have a &#8220;unique&#8221; centre-forward to worry about themselves, according to Glen Johnson.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This week Squawka spoke to the former England, Chelsea and Liverpool right-back, who also picked out the Three Lions&#8217; best right-back option, Cole Palmer&#8217;s best position and more.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#ENG-RB\"><strong>Who is England&#8217;s best right-back option?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#VVD-HAALAND\"><strong>Virgil van Dijk vs Erling Haaland<\/strong><\/a><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#NUNEZ\">Nunez backed to break into Europe&#8217;s elite<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#COLE\">Cole Palmer&#8217;s best position for Chelsea<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#TONEY\"><strong>Chelsea should explore Ivan Toney deal<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>MB: What did you make of England\u2019s performances in the international break?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> England definitely weren&#8217;t great in either game, but we need to stay positive. They knew the job was done and made loads of changes. You\u2019d like to think they could still blow those teams away, but if you look across the whole qualification stage they won the group and put in some really good performances along the way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Do you agree with Gareth Southgate on continuing to pick Jordan Henderson?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I think Southgate wants some mature, more experienced players in the dressing room. The squad is very young and although Henderson won\u2019t play that much in the tournament he\u2019ll still be really valuable. For him to be around the younger players and to help them, that\u2019s super important and he\u2019ll have a role to play in doing that during the Euros.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"ENG-RB\"><\/a><strong>MB: England are blessed with players in your old position of right-back in Walker, Trippier, James, Trent and even Rico Lewis. Who would you say is the best option for Southgate in that position for the Euros?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Every right-back in the England set-up has different skills so it\u2019s a tough one to know who to pick. Trent is amazing from set pieces and in his attacking play and with his passing, Walker\u2019s speed is so important, Trippier\u2019s delivery. I think it\u2019s important to say that the way players play for their clubs, they can\u2019t do that at international level. Walker for example plays for the best team in the world where you can get away with murder. You can\u2019t do that for England. For me, if I had to pick a right-back for England, it\u2019d be Reece James. He\u2019s the least error-prone option we have and he\u2019s still a huge threat going forward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: What are your thoughts ahead of the City Liverpool game this weekend?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> As a fan watching the game I&#8217;m hoping for an explosive matchup of two of the best teams in the league going at it, but it probably won\u2019t be like that and could be quite a cagey game. These are two giants of the Premier League, and of course for Liverpool it\u2019s going to be extremely hard to go to the Etihad and win, but both sides will do everything they can to not lose. If you want to win the league, it\u2019s about not dropping points in these kinds of games and making sure you win the others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Do Liverpool finally have the type of midfield that can compete with City&#8217;s technically?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I think Liverpool can match City in midfield over 90 minutes for sure. They may not be as established as City\u2019s players yet, but in the one-off game, they can take on anyone. Are they ready to take that level of performance and do it consistently over the course of a full season? We\u2019re not yet sure. Liverpool are more than capable of being able to go toe-to-toe with City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Haaland has only played against Liverpool once in the Premier League and Liverpool kept a clean sheet at Anfield. They&#8217;re one of the few teams he hasn&#8217;t scored against in the Premier League. Is Virgil van Dijk the perfect centre-back to combat Haaland&#8217;s physical prowess?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"VVD-HAALAND\"><\/a><strong>GJ:<\/strong> If anyone can stop Haaland, Van Dijk can. The issue is, with City it\u2019s not just about him and there\u2019s goal threats everywhere. Liverpool have to be careful not just build the whole gameplan around Haaland, but in terms of the one-on-one battle between him and Van Dijk, it will be interesting to see how they take the game on. I\u2019m interested to see if Haaland will look to go in behind or drop off and pull Van Dijk away from the defensive line.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Gvardiol will likely play on that left side. He looked shaky against Chelsea &#8212; will he have a tough time against Salah?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GJ: If Salah is on form he makes it tough for anybody in the world, so that won\u2019t be the benchmark for Josko Gvardiol. He\u2019s obviously a good defender and he\u2019s been trusted straight away to play in these big games by Guardiola. Of course he\u2019ll have a tough game defending Salah but he\u2019s a talented player.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: If Liverpool were to win on Saturday would you make them title favourites?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> There\u2019s obviously still a long way to go, and it would take a brave man to say for certain. Every team at the top looks beatable, but I have a feeling that whoever wins this game could end up taking that momentum and going on a long winning streak and getting some distance between them and everyone else at the top of the table.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"NUNEZ\"><\/a><strong>MB: Darwin Nunez has impressed this year. How close is he to being a complete centre forward and one of Europe\u2019s elite?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I think Nunez could absolutely become one of Europe\u2019s elite. He impressed me a lot last year even when he wasn\u2019t scoring, because he was still a threat. You always worry about the strikers that not only aren\u2019t scoring but aren\u2019t affecting the game elsewhere, which you could never say was true of Nunez. Of course he does miss chances, but he creates for his teammates, he\u2019s a threat to defenders. He\u2019s a fantastic player and looks the real deal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Is there still parts of his game that need improvement?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> People talk about his temperament, but I think that\u2019s what makes him who he is and you don\u2019t want to lose that, you just have to harness it. If you want him to be perfectly behaved all the time, you\u2019d lose a part of him that makes him unique. As long as he can control it and stay calm and calculated, he\u2019s fantastic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Despite signing four midfielders in the summer, Liverpool continue to be linked to more. Do you agree they still need to strengthen here in January, particularly in the defensive midfield role?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I always think the defensive midfield role is a key role for a title-winning team. They are the anchor for the whole team and a good one can raise the whole team\u2019s performance. I think they are probably going to need a player who is a natural anchor man in that position, because Mac Allister and Szoboszlai want to be further forward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Has Thiago\u2019s time at Liverpool come to an end do you think?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I love Thiago as a player, he&#8217;s technically world class, but he\u2019s struggled with injuries and I think the Premier League caught him by surprise a bit. He did have some fantastic games, but maybe the pace of the game was just a little bit too quick. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll go on to have a good career elsewhere but with Liverpool signing all these players in midfield that can stay fit then it\u2019s not looking good for his Liverpool career.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"TAA-MF\"><\/a> <strong>MB: Should Liverpool be looking to use Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield in the same way England do?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think Liverpool should be looking to play Trent in midfield full-time. He\u2019s had some good games for England in midfield, but I think he can only really do it against the weaker teams. If he\u2019s playing in the midfield role against Man City, they\u2019re not going to be worried about him, they\u2019d probably enjoy it. It\u2019s always good to experiment and try things but it\u2019s not something Liverpool should be looking to do full-time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: According to reports, Madrid have cooled their interest in Kylian Mbappe and rumours are that Liverpool could be interested. Could you see Liverpool really spending that kind of money to get him in?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I can\u2019t see Liverpool spending the kind of money it would take to bring Mbappe in. They\u2019ve always brought in players strategically, using data, statistics and looking to the future and also often looking for a good deal and to be honest, they usually get it right. I just don\u2019t think they&#8217;re the kind of club to go and break the bank to buy Mbappe. I hope they do! I just think it goes against what they are all about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Would he suit Klopp\u2019s high-pressing style of play?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Being at PSG, he\u2019s never really had to do that high press. Whether he\u2019s capable of it and whether he actually wants to do it or not I don\u2019t know, but they would still absolutely sign him if they could. If you want to play for Klopp, you absolutely have to be able to help the team and work hard, so I&#8217;m sure he would buy into that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Liverpool have been linked with multiple central defenders, with Goncalo Inacio of Sporting the name being linked the most. Do you think this is a position Liverpool need to strengthen in January?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I think whoever has partnered Van Dijk in recent years has had ups and downs and they don\u2019t have a settled partner for him, which is a bit of a shame. I think they need to find a player who will consistently play alongside Van Dijk and help anchor the team every week with him. World-class centre halves are extremely hard to find though.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Klopp has said before how much he hates the Saturday 12:30 kick off after an international break. Did you ever feel this way when you were playing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> It\u2019s never something I really worried about as a player. As a player, you always feel fit and it\u2019s down to the manager and the backroom staff to worry about how many minutes you\u2019ve played or how many miles you\u2019ve travelled. I understand why Klopp has talked about this. He\u2019s just doing right by his players.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: How big is Saturday\u2019s game for Chelsea against Newcastle to prove their top-four credentials?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I don\u2019t see this game as a \u2018top four\u2019 clash at all. Chelsea have to win these types of games if they want to compete for fifth or sixth at the moment, let alone top four. It\u2019s not going to be an easy game at all; Newcastle at home are a really tough team to beat.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"COLE\"><\/a><strong>MB: What do you make of Cole Palmer\u2019s recent performances for Chelsea?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Cole Palmer has been doing great. He\u2019s obviously got a great mentality stepping up for penalties and performing against his old team. He looks calm on the ball, looks like he\u2019s enjoying his football and it\u2019s good to see, I think he\u2019s the real deal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Do you see him better out wide or as a 10?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I prefer to see him in the middle, behind the striker. At the moment, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s quick or strong enough to be isolated one on one with defenders and is best receiving it on the half turn and being clever with his passes into strikers. He\u2019s the sort of player strikers love to play with, but I don\u2019t think that he\u2019s the kind of player a full-back hates to play against one on one on. He\u2019s intelligent and can play through the lines in the middle, and that\u2019s where he should be used by Chelsea.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: How important is getting Reece James back and also keeping him fit going forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> It\u2019s so great to see Reece James back for Chelsea. He\u2019s the captain for a reason so he\u2019s obviously a leader within that young squad. Hopefully he stays fit now and helps Chelsea climb up the table.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Nicolas Jackson has found his shooting boots in recent weeks, what do you make of his performances recently?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> The hat-trick against Tottenham would have helped Jackson massively, even if it was against nine men, that would have given him huge confidence. He\u2019s always worked hard and even when he wasn\u2019t scoring he was threatening, so now it\u2019s about kicking on and showing us that he can be a top striker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Could you see him struggling for game time once Christopher Nkunku returns?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Nkunku is going to have to earn the shirt and will have to be patient. He\u2019s been out for a long time and he will have to show the manager why he should start. We know he\u2019s a good player and he may well take the shirt back in time, but you can\u2019t just drop a goalscoring striker in form because a player\u2019s come back from injury.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"TONEY\"><\/a><strong>MB: Would you still look to bring in another striker in January for Chelsea? Links with Osimhen and Toney keep popping up.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> I really like Ivan Toney and think he&#8217;d be great for Chelsea. Of course in Jackson and Nkunku they have two very good options, so they don\u2019t need to run out and pay massively over the odds, but if the right deal comes along, it\u2019s something they should absolutely explore.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Marc Cucurella was criticised massively for his performances last year and there were rumours of him moving on in the summer, but he seems to have gained Poch\u2019s trust and is being used often. What do you make of his performances this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Cucurella looks like a player who is really enjoying the faith that Poch is putting in him. He\u2019s always had ability there\u2019s no doubt about that. He just sometimes looked a bit lost or out of position, but I don&#8217;t think that was always on him entirely, especially considering Chelsea were playing so badly as a team. What Pochettino does well is putting an arm round a player and letting them know he believes in them and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s done that here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MB: Romelu Lukaku is banging goals in for Roma this year and got four goals in 20 minutes for belgium 2 days ago. Why did it never work out for him at Chelsea when he does so well in Italy?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>GJ:<\/strong> Lukaku is an absolute goal machine, but I just don\u2019t think he was right for the Premier League. He\u2019s obviously so big and strong and a beast in front of goal, but sometimes the game would fly past him a bit. His time at Chelsea was often him trying to get too involved in the play, dropping deep and trying to link up play, instead of just being a dangerous front man who was there to score goals. In Italy he\u2019s going to get a bit more time on the ball and when you give him that he\u2019s absolutely lethal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/preview\/man-city-vs-liverpool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Man City vs Liverpool predictions and betting tips<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Latest Premier League predictions for GW13<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/best-premier-league-wingers-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The best Premier League wingers right now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-top-scorer-outright-odds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Premier League Golden Boot rankings: Most goals in 2023-24<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can Virgil van Dijk stop Erling Haaland in Manchester City v Liverpool this Saturday? City&#8217;s defence may have a &#8220;unique&#8221; centre-forward to worry about themselves, according to Glen Johnson. This week Squawka spoke to the former England, Chelsea and Liverpool right-back, who also picked out the Three Lions&#8217; best right-back option, Cole Palmer&#8217;s best position&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":1332155,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"news-category":[],"class_list":["post-1332147","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Glen Johnson backs &quot;unique&quot; Darwin Nunez to break into Europe&#039;s elite ahead of Man City v Liverpool | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/glen-johnson-backs-unique-darwin-nunez-to-break-into-europes-elite-ahead-of-man-city-v-liverpool\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Glen Johnson backs &quot;unique&quot; Darwin Nunez to break into Europe&#039;s elite ahead of Man City v Liverpool\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can Virgil van Dijk stop Erling Haaland in Manchester City v Liverpool this Saturday? City&#8217;s defence may have a &#8220;unique&#8221; centre-forward to worry about themselves, according to Glen Johnson. 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