Victor Munoz: I’m a Mothafuckin Starboy

ARTICLE BY MATTY

I will give Liverpool FC credit. As much as they might be losing their roots, they still are masters of the shrewd signing when the opportunity is there. Like a thief in the night, just like the Luis Diaz transfer, Liverpool stole a pacy winger before a fellow Premier League club could seal the deal. We stole Diaz from Tottenham, and now we’ve stolen Munoz from Newcastle. I’m guessing many of you think I’m unreasonably high on Munoz, I’m also guessing some of you don’t even know he exists. But the graduate of both Barcelona and Real Madrid’s academies has had a meteoric rise. Osasuna’s first ever World Cup player for Spain. The chosen weapon of Luis de la Fuente to be the wild card off the bench for Spain at this World Cup. Thank you again for getting this deal done before he explodes at the World Cup. We probably saved ourselves at least £50 million. I can’t even lie to you, this has shades of the Mo Salah transfer. The star in the making that no one sees coming until he glides by you, cuts inside and scores. Aggression, pace, work rate, a determination to make it at the top level of the game. With Yan Diomande also still on the radar for the Reds, it looks like heavy metal football might be back on the menu through two young, pacy and direct wingers. Let’s analyze the one already signed.

Munoz’s best attribute is his confidence. Few wingers in Europe were better this season at taking on a man and dribbling past him. Ranked in the 98th percentile for completed dribbles and the 96th percentile for completed carries. Give the ball to Munoz and he’ll run towards goal for days. Typical of a Spaniard, he prefers quick short passes. However, much like his fellow Spanish wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, he never turns down a shot on goal. He loves to be involved, sometimes dropping deep to link up the play and spring attacks forward. The man hardly ever stops running. He played most of last season as a left winger, linking up well with scrappy attacking fullback Javi Galan. I imagine Munoz and Milos Kerkez will get on well. Osasuna’s attack ran through the 22-year-old winger, the ultimate show of confidence from a manager. Quick passes for his left back and attacking midfielder, as well as crosses into the box for his tall striker Ante Budimir, were his favorite options when he didn’t just run through the opposition like a knife through butter. On the rare occasions Munoz played on the right flank, he cut inside and carved defenses open from central areas, proving his underrated ability as a playmaker. He’s an energetic figure, expected to provide a jolt of energy to a largely lifeless and toothless Liverpool attack.

My biggest concern that proved to be true last season was a lack of pace in the team, especially in the wide areas. Iraola’s promised return to high energy football, then the purchase of a highly promising energetic winger, suggests the club felt similarly. It did open my eyes a bit to see Munoz thrive in different areas of the field besides just the left wing. My fears of Gakpo being sold or Rio Ngumoha not getting enough game time appear to be unfounded for now. Honestly the player I think Munoz is meant to replace is our number 20. His shorter, stocky build. His aggression, his temperament. His versatility, being able to play across the forward line. He’s a breath of fresh air to a club that desperately needed it. We now have a player who can beat low blocks in different ways, either by running through them or dropping deep to link up the play, provide an option, and pass through them. As much as Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo are silky players, you need steel and fire to go along with the silk. It seems like we have that steel and fire now.