Had 20 mins today and looks miles off. Offside, poor shots/decision making again. And could be doing with a strong finish to the season with summer coming.
I'm reaching the conclusion that he may never fulfill the expectations of becoming the lethal striker many envision him to be. In my view, exceptional strikers share a similarity with goalkeepers: in moments of pressure, they remain composed. They assess their surroundings, including the positioning of the goalkeeper and defenders, and make calculated decisions about their body positioning and choice of finish. Even after this analysis, they maintain the composure necessary to execute the finish with technical precision, increasing their chances of scoring.
Darwin, at 25 this summer, seems to lack the qualities needed to become a lethal striker. From my observations, he hasn't shown any significant effort to develop these traits in his game either. While he demonstrates intelligence in his runs to find scoring opportunities, his execution falls short; once he gains possession, he often appears frantic and uncontrolled. Most of his strengths lie in physical attributes such as strength, power, speed, and agility, but these alone are insufficient to excel as a striker. I say "most" because nobody can take away from him the fact that his runs without the ball are smart and calculated. With that said, without the necessary composure and technical skill to finish consistently, his physical prowess won't elevate him to the level of a very good, let alone top-class, striker.
Does that mean I don't want him in the team? No, not really, but he's not the striker to carry a club like LFC and its ambitions.
Now, if anybody (I obviously don't mean you bmck) disagrees, I'd be curious to hear your opinions, but please, none of that "Wow, you don't know how to back the lads" or "oh so he hits a bump in the road and that's when the negative stuff surfaces" type of nonsense. Any opinion that isn't praise or encouragement isn't automatically knee-jerk negativity. I've presented my reasons for doubting whether he'll meet the lofty expectations set for him or justify the hefty price tag associated with him. It doesn't mean I hate him, but I personally wouldn't mind for my club to eventually upgrade to a lethal striker, no doubt like Arsenal will in the summer and like City did before last season.
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