Slot deserves praise for his success in instilling his footballing brand seamlessly, bringing a more control-heavy and pass-focused sheen to the red half of Merseyside. Luis Diaz is one of the players to have profited the most from the tactical tweak.
Luis Diaz is starting to improve
Diaz has been at Liverpool for a while now, signing from FC Porto for an initial £37m in January 2022. Despite his skills and wheels, the Colombian’s goal return leaves something to be desired, having posted only 27 goals and 14 assists across 103 appearances.
That’s a goal contribution rate of 0.40 per game. His predecessor on the left flank, Sadio Mane, concluded his time at Liverpool with 120 goals and 42 assists across 269 matches, which stands at a rate of 0.60 per game.
It’s early days but you can see that Diaz is starting to become more effective with his attacking actions. He only needs to score six goals across 34 Premier League fixtures to better last year’s tally, while he has also created two big chances from four outings so far, having mustered up just five across the entirety of last season.
Diaz has been known to ebb and flow, however, and he was pretty dismal in his performance against Forest last time out, sparking fears that his purple patch has faded away and Slot will have to now contend with a highly talented winger lacking in end product.
Cody Gakpo put in a masterful performance from the left wing at the San Siro, and with Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota both capable out on the flank, Slot will feel that he has sufficient options.
