Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could use a combination he has avoided so far this season if one of his star players continues to struggle in the next game.
Luis Diaz added a crucial moment as Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 in October’s Merseyside derby. In the first half, he received a second yellow card for a tackle on Ashley Young on the edge of the box, putting pressure on the experienced defender.
And his cross hit Michael Keane’s hand in the closing stages, earning Liverpool a penalty and a stalemate against the 10-man Toffees. In our post-fight article, we called for more support for Diaz given his striking ability. As I said, he has logged a minimum of 90 minutes of action for Liverpool, but no winger in the Premier League has been able to improve his strike rate. However, over the next eight appearances (five starts), his dribble volume dropped significantly (from 3.5 to 1.7 to 90) and his success rate dropped even more dramatically (from 58.3 to 36,4). He tried to beat his man 22 times in the process, but only won eight times. He lost possession in four of his six attempts against Crystal Palace on Saturday.It wouldn’t have been a problem if Diaz had scored or assisted consistently.
But he scored two goals in the eight games. In fact, it is currently abnormal and the overall impact is limited.The winter of 2022 has been an interesting one for Liverpool. He was arguably the team’s best forward in the second half of the season. And Jurgen Klopp’s pre-transfer prediction that he could be a “game changer” has been revealed. (via LFC) That’s right. I couldn’t wait for the titles and it seemed like it was only a matter of time.But now the performance is low and the performance is also very average. Five goals would be a respectable return at this stage, but it’s not remarkable and he managed just one assist all season.
This is a good indicator of his creativity as he has 1.1 assists. Overall, he averages direct goals per 200 minutes this season and the Liverpool winger can do much better than that. Of course, Diaz has been dealing with a family crisis off the pitch this season and Klopp is aware of that. Only the footballers themselves can say how much the recent events in Colombia have affected the pitch. Jurgen Klopp may need to overhaul Liverpool’s attack. But as a highly competitive professional athlete, Diaz neither wants nor expects any special treatment, and Liverpool have other options. If his poor form continues, Klopp may have no choice but to use them.So what are the alternatives? They could use Cody Gakpo in a devastating wing position at PSV, even if they don’t want to use him after his move to Anfield.
According to Transfer markt, Gakpo has made just three appearances on the left flank of the Reds’ attacking trio and is yet to start this season. It was the Uruguayan who switched to the wing, even when playing alongside the dominant number nine of Darwin Nunez.If things don’t go his way, Klopp could wait until Dio Jota returns from injury before calling on him.
The Portuguese, who has scored eight goals, joins Mohamed Salah (14), who was ruled out last week while recovering from a muscle injury.Liverpool’s attack as a whole is not up to par at the moment. Salah went three games without a goal before his goal was overturned on Saturday and it could be time for Klopp to shake things up. Nunes has also fought in the barn, but based on eye tests and numbers, Diaz’s spot appears to be the most at risk.
