Isn’t it funny to think that were it not for Nottingham Forest, Liverpool would boast a flawless record across three competitions heading into the third month of the 2024/25 campaign?
Liverpool have won their opening game in the Champions League, against AC Milan at the San Siro, while also thumping West Ham United at Anfield in the Carabao Cup second round.
Losing on Merseyside against Forest in the Premier League was a shock, like being thrown into a blizzard having lounged on a Caribbean beach. Still, Arne Slot’s Reds are flying, and have won all five of their other top-flight matches, thus perching atop the table six games in.
Now, Bologna travel to Liverpool in the second game of the Champions League. The Italians drew 0-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk in their opener but will face a different beast later today.
Let’s not forget that Liverpool lost their last home fixture in European competition – and against Serie A opposition too. Slot will need to be wary.
Despite this, he should probably consider dropping Luis Diaz, imperious as he has been this season.
Why Slot should drop Luis Diaz
Liverpool resisted caving into the sugar rush that would have come with signing Anthony Gordon this summer, offered as they were to sign the Newcastle United star amid PSR concerns.
What would be the point? Diaz might not have hit the degree of goalscoring success desired last season but he certainly produced excellent performances.
Moreover, he looks to be a factory-build fit for a ‘Slot system’, ranking among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his technical skill.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
As the table below shows you, though his goalscoring numbers have shot up, he’s not really raised the underlying metrics, which speaks volumes of his importance within the starting line-up.
Matches (starts)
37 (32)
6 (6)
Goals
8
5
Assists
5
1
Touches*
43.8
41.8
Shots (on target)
2.5 (0.9)
2.3 (1.3)
Pass completion
85%
89%
Key passes*
1.8
1.5
Ball recoveries*
3.4
3.7
Dribbles (completed)*
1.8
1.7
Tackles + interceptions*
1.0
1.5
Total Duels won*
4.6
4.0
He’s scored five goals from six Premier League matches, which is quite a thing given that Diaz only bagged eight across the entirety of last season, 37 fixtures played. He’s been more effective with his time, more economical in his offensive movements.
He didn’t, however, produce his finest performance against Wolves last time out, blanking and failing to offer all that much in attack for Slot’s side, which failed to really get going but still managed to claim a much-needed victory.
Indeed, as per Sofascore, the 27-year-old lost 84% of his contested duels, ceded possession ten times and failed to complete his one attempted dribble, also being dribbled past twice and taking just one blocked shot.
It was a performance that sat on more middling ground, with The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle awarding the Colombian a 6/10 match rating, acknowledging his threat on the left flank but admitting that he ’caused panic’ for the travelling side after a couple of iffy moments in the defensive third.
Diaz has spoken of his adoration of his new head coach and is showcasing his new-found love on the pitch. However, he must not be unleashed across every single one of Liverpool’s matches, lest he suffer a damaging injury.
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The best replacement for Diaz at Liverpool
Luckily, Liverpool aren’t overly reliant on Diaz, who has been one of the club’s best players over the first few months but, thankfully, competes with the brilliant Cody Gakpo for a starting berth.
Slot’s found a neat way of doing things on the left side of his frontline. It’s quite simple, really: Diaz operates on Premier League days, while Gakpo takes the reins during midweek competitions.
That’s how things have been carried out thus far, and though it won’t remain that way throughout the campaign and beyond, Liverpool are reaping the rewards of owning two talented wingers jostling for top spot.
Diaz has started every Premier League match, whereas Gakpo – who was kailed for his “special skill set” by Klopp’s former assistant manager Pep Lijnders – has yet to play from the outset in the top flight and has instead done so against West Ham and Milan. He’s been one of the best players on the pitch on both occasions and now deserves another shot.
The Netherlands international differs from Diaz in that he’s a little more dynamic and less of a touchline winger than Diaz, who, albeit, is proving that claim wrong by performing with a high goal output this year. It’s a testament to Slot’s system and its implementation that both players have hit the ground running.
Klopp, with no disrespect, didn’t figure out the best way to use Gakpo, who is so clearly, in hindsight, an out-and-out wide forward, where his pace and power and potency meld together to the greatest effect. Last term, he featured on the left across just 12 of his 53 outings, which points toward a degree of positional mismanagement.
The synergy must continue to be built up, and that’s talking about the Liverpool squad as a whole, not just Slot’s preferred 11 in the Premier League.
Diaz is in red-hot form and thus is unlikely to lose his starting berth any time soon, but the games come thick and fast for Liverpool and rotation is necessary across different competitions.
Slot’s already found a formula that’s bearing fruits for his team, and with Diaz placed on the bench for this one, Gakpo will have his chance to shine and deepen the bond that’s blossoming over on Merseyside.
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