Darwin Nunez is confident he can follow in Luis Suarez's footsteps at Liverpool and explode in his second season.
The Uruguay forward has struggled to find consistency since arriving at Anfield from Benfica in June, scoring in his opening two appearances but only managing eight goals in 23 since.
Nunez's struggles in front of goal have come alongside Liverpool's own issues, with Jurgen Klopp's side languishing in ninth spot in the Premier League and out of both the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
Though he recognises the problems he has encountered in the first half of his debut season in English football, Nunez identified Suarez's own slow start on Merseyside and feels he can bounce back in similar style.
Former Ajax striker Suarez scored just 15 goals in 44 Premier League games in his first season-and-a-half at Liverpool, before hitting 54 in his next 66 prior to leaving for Barcelona in 2014.
"Obviously, I still have many things to work on, for example my finishing. But I think the same thing is happening to me as happened to Suarez. In his second year, he tore it up," Nunez told Sky Sports.
"Something similar happened to me already at Benfica. The first year went very badly for me and in the second, I exploded.
"Here, I think the same thing is happening. I hope next season will be like that. I'll put my best forward and hopefully I'll get a bit of luck."
In order to emulate Suarez, Nunez has regularly spoken to the man himself for advice and values the discussions with his compatriot.
"Of course, it's always helpful to speak with Suarez. For me, he is an idol. He is a great example. In the national team, I now have a much better relationship with him," he added.
"We are always talking and he is always giving me advice. I always try to keep in touch with him.
"I ask him a lot of things because he was at this club and he has a lot more experience than me. He is an important player to give me advice and explain things to me."
Alonso wary of Atalanta threat ahead of Europa League showdown
Bayer Leverkusen will find it tough to overcome Atalanta in the Europa League final, manager Xabi Alonso said.
The Italian side knocked out Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and three-times finalists Marseille in previous rounds.
But Leverkusen have plans of their own as they chase a treble of titles, having recently been crowned as the new Bundesliga champions.
Currently on an extraordinary 50-match run this season, Leverkusen play Gian Piero Gasperini's side, who are fifth in Serie A, in Dublin on May 22.
"Atalanta is one of the best teams in Europe. The coach has a clear plan, they have a great mentality and a big squad," Alonso told reporters on Wednesday.
"If we do our best, we have a chance, but it will be tight. They are a top team."
With the league title in the bag, Leverkusen are fully focused on winning both their finals, which includes the German Cup clash against Kaiserslautern on May 25.
But before that, they have a home game against Augsburg in the league on Saturday.
"The feeling is very good, we're looking forward to playing two finals. It's a great opportunity for us. We have time to prepare. There's still the Bundesliga game, but of course we're already focussing on the two finals," the Spaniard said.
"With the Bundesliga decided, we can focus more on the Europa League than if there was still something at stake. But the Bundesliga is not over yet, and we respect Augsburg."
Midfielder Florian Wirtz, who has scored 18 goals for Leverkusen in all competitions this campaign, is better after missing the last two games through injury.
"We'll take it slowly and look day by day. There's no risk of a more serious injury, it's all about the pain. We'll see how it looks again tomorrow," Alonso added.
Klopp's assistant Lijnders to take charge at Salzburg
Jurgen Klopp's long-time assistant Pep Lijnders has agreed to take over at Salzburg, the Austrian club and Liverpool have confirmed.
Lijnders joined the Reds in 2014 as under-16s coach, before he became first-team development coach a year later.
Initially working under Brendan Rodgers, Lijnders has played a key role in Klopp's staff since the German took over at Anfield in October 2015.
It was confirmed in January that Lijnders would join Klopp in leaving Liverpool, and the Dutchman will now take a step into management, having agreed a three-year deal with Salzburg.
"I am very proud to become the new head coach of Salzburg," said Lijnders.
"This is a real privilege for me. After PSV, Porto and Liverpool, I am now moving to another exceptional club with a really good structure and a particular focus on youth development.
"I want to develop a mentality with the team that places a lot of emphasis on an attacking style of play and where passion and hunger for success are the basis of everything.
"My family has visited the city before and was overwhelmed by its beauty and the friendliness of the people. That was the last and important step for me in choosing Salzburg."
This is Lijnders' second managerial position, after a brief spell at NEC Nijmegen.
Lijnders will be joined by another of Liverpool's backroom staff, Vitor Matos, who will serve as his assistant. They are replacing Gerhard Struber, who was dismissed in April by 17-time Austrian champions Salzburg.
The duo, along with Klopp and the rest of his staff, will celebrate the end of their glorious Liverpool tenure when the Reds take on Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.
Klopp laments late lapse as Liverpool fail to see out win
Jurgen Klopp was lamented his side's late mistake as Liverpool gave up a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds were on top after a quick start as Emiliano Martinez gifted them an opener inside the first 61 seconds. Though Youri Tielemans equalised for Villa, Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put Liverpool back in control.
Jhon Duran scored twice late on, netting in the 85th and 88th minutes to deny Klopp’s side three points.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the German admitted that though they could not see out the win, he was proud of his team’s performance.
He said: "It got away from us. We played really good football. We were really good, played a lot of good stuff and caused a lot of problems.
"Before we changed, we gave them too many chances. It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box, and we made the changes. Then we made a mistake. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.
"They scored an equaliser, and I don't even know how. The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation. We wanted to win the game. In the moment, when we gave away the 3-2, that was really tricky. That's it, that's the story of the game."
It looked like Quansah’s goal would be the winner for much of the second half, with the young defender heading in his first goal for Liverpool.
"I've been waiting for that moment," he told the BBC. "I don't score too many goals, so when it goes in the back of the net you just saw the emotion come out I guess.
"I just tried to get the best contact on it as I could. I'm thankful it went in.
"The way the crowd celebrated was a surreal moment, definitely one I'll never forget."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
