How Liverpool rebooted Luis Diaz with Slot classes, tactical tweaks – and a track

Luis Diaz is having fun with the very best scoring streak of his Anfield profession.

The Colombian has netted 5 objectives in Liverpool’s opening 5 league matches — solely Michael Owen (2000-01) and Mohamed Salah (2020-21) with six have been extra prolific for the membership on the similar stage of a Premier League marketing campaign.

Rested for the midweek Carabao Cup rout of West Ham United, Diaz is ready to return towards Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday.

The 27-year-old has lengthy been a followers’ favorite at Anfield due to his dribbling and tenacity out of possession, however one common criticism was the dearth of finish product. His tally of 24 objectives in 98 appearances for Liverpool previous to this season was underwhelming for a participant of his skill.

So what’s behind Diaz turning into a way more potent pressure within the closing third?

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“Luis appears hungrier to attain objectives,” Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold advised reporters after Diaz’s double in final Saturday’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth. “Possibly getting new gamers sort of lights a hearth underneath you to be sure you’re working laborious in your spot. That’s what the supervisor has advised us. He’s getting himself into the suitable areas and he’s making the suitable choices.”

Competitors for locations at all times helps to focus minds and, with Cody Gakpo additionally in excellent kind, the battle for the left-sided attacking position is arguably probably the most keenly contested in Slot’s squad.

The Dutch head coach wished six elite attackers so he had cowl proper throughout the entrance line, and the signing of Italy worldwide Federico Chiesa from Juventus has supplied him with that.

Diaz was the topic of reported curiosity from Barcelona in the summertime, however no bids had been forthcoming and Liverpool had been adamant that they’d little interest in listening to provides. Diaz additionally by no means gave any indication that he was unsettled.

Liverpool got here near signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United in late June, however the England worldwide would have complemented the attackers already on board reasonably than exchange anybody.

One of many key the explanation why Liverpool appointed Slot was his monitor report of enhancing gamers at Feyenoord they usually felt there was untapped potential with Diaz.

The attacker’s Premier League report since arriving from Porto in a £50million ($66.9m) deal in January 2022 reveals how his output has spiked dramatically this season.

There are caveats. Diaz’s 2022-23 season was wrecked by a knee harm, whereas final season he needed to take care of his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, being held hostage for 12 days after his abduction by the Nationwide Liberation Military in Colombia.

This season can also be a low pattern measurement of video games, and Liverpool are but to play any of final season’s high seven. It might be that Diaz reverts to the imply because the season progresses.

Even so, he does appear to be showcasing a lot higher composure, calmness and a medical edge within the closing third.

The place he’s receiving the ball can also be important. If we examine the place he obtained the ball final season to this time period within the graphic under, it’s noticeable that he’s getting on the ball in additional central areas and in barely extra superior positions. 

The positions of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have altered, too. Each at the moment are deployed in additional pure full-back roles in contrast with the inverted place Alexander-Arnold occupied final season, which had a knock-on impact on Robertson’s positioning. Having the assist of a steadily overlapping left-back makes it simpler for Diaz to roam. 

The indicators had been promising in Liverpool’s pre-season fixture towards Sevilla. For Diaz’s second purpose, he drifted inside to assist Diogo Jota and obtained a cross from him. In a swift transfer he wrong-footed the defender and fired a shot into the highest nook. 

His motion right into a central space was additionally essential to his first purpose towards Bournemouth. He latched onto Ibrahima Konate’s cross, managed and completed the possibility.

By particular person evaluation conferences and time spent on the coaching discipline, Slot and his employees have labored intently with Diaz to attempt to get him into extra harmful positions the place he can damage groups. There’s been much less of reducing inside from the left flank and taking pictures from the sting of the field.

They’ve inspired him to get himself between the posts extra typically, so it isn’t any coincidence that his anticipated objectives per shot has risen from 0.13 to 0.19.

That’s not to recommend he didn’t final season. He scored in Liverpool’s opening two video games in 2023-24 with classical striker objectives – towards Chelsea and Bournemouth – that fuelled this similar kind of dialog earlier than the purpose move dried up.

As his shot map reveals, just about all of his eight league objectives had been scored between the posts. 

It was the composure and conviction that was missing. Repeatedly, Diaz tried photographs within the shut proximity of a defender that had been blocked, or his efforts lacked precision. There have been promising indicators in direction of the tip of final season, however a mix of the woodwork, poor ending and good goalkeeping meant he completed the marketing campaign with out scoring in his closing 9 video games in all competitions.

His shot map this season incorporates solely two efforts from exterior the world and the cluster of speculative, low xG makes an attempt from the left nook of the field have disappeared (to this point). They’ve been changed with larger high quality probabilities.

Diaz has, previously, been responsible of over-complicating taking pictures conditions and reducing the standard of an opportunity. This season, he’s taking extra time to set himself whereas making faster, clearer choices. 

That seems like a contradiction, however a variety of his objectives illustrate the purpose.

Towards Brentford, after being performed by way of by Jota, Diaz confirmed no hesitation when he obtained the ball and the end was easy but emphatic.

Composure has not at all times been a function of his ending, however against Manchester United, after beginning the transfer by profitable the ball again from Casemiro, he completed it by caressing a primary time shot past Andre Onana on the close to submit — an uncommon end for Diaz, who tends to lash the ball in. 

For his second purpose towards Bournemouth he executed the contact and end completely, undisturbed by Kepa Arrizabalaga speeding in direction of him.

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His Bournemouth objectives prompted the track in his honour to increase round Anfield. To the tune of the Italian people track Bella Ciao, the phrases resonate extra now that Diaz has hit such a purple patch.

His title is Lucho
He got here from Porto
He got here to attain
Got here to attain
Got here to attain, rating, rating
He’s Luis Diaz
He’s from Barrancas
Now he performs for Liverpool
Na na na na na…

It was first carried out by Anfield-based musician Andy Hodgson at Taggy’s Bar near the stadium in Could 2023 and has grown in recognition since. Lengthy-serving stadium announcer George Sephton performed it after the ultimate whistle towards Bournemouth in tribute to Liverpool’s match-winner.

🇨🇴 🎶 “His title is Lucho!” –

The brand new Luis Diaz track is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WzxnOL2DUX

— This Is Anfield (@thisisanfield) August 20, 2023

The outpouring of affection means rather a lot to Diaz and on the finish of final season he obtained in contact with Hodgson.

“I couldn’t consider what I used to be seeing once I answered the video name. I practically dropped the telephone,” Hodgson tells The Athletic. “There was Lucho me saying: ‘I simply wish to say thanks a lot for the track, a lot love’.

“A lad at Taggy’s wrote the preliminary model to Bella Ciao and requested me to play it. I simply modified a number of phrases to make it move higher. Beginning a brand new track is at all times dangerous as you don’t know the way it’s going to go down. However the first video went viral and it took off from there.

“Standing within the stadium final weekend listening to everybody sing the track was correct mad and laborious for me to course of. However the track works as a result of it’s so catchy.”

In addition to having an in depth bond with the followers, Diaz is glad and settled off the pitch with girlfriend Gera Ponce and their younger daughters Roma, two, and Charlotte, who was born in January.

Shut friendships with the membership’s South American contingent of Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Alisson and their households assist being so distant from house. These gamers steadily eat collectively within the canteen at Kirkby together with Jota and goalkeeping coach Taffarel.

Though he’s nonetheless not assured sufficient to do interviews in English, Diaz’s language abilities have improved and he’s an upbeat presence across the coaching floor.

There’s been hypothesis a couple of potential new contract, however with Diaz’s present deal — which sees him earn considerably greater than the £55,000 per week steered in some shops — operating till the summer time of 2027 that’s not presently considered by Liverpool as a precedence. The extra urgent concern is checking out the futures of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold.

His flying begin to the brand new Premier League season is a supply of nice delight and dialogue in his homeland.

“Luis is a really completely different participant now to the one who first arrived at Liverpool,” says Carlos Aleman, a reporter and presenter for Bogota-based TV channel Win Sports activities.

“He’s nonetheless a quick, highly effective participant however he has extra goalscoring skill. It’s one thing we weren’t anticipating. We had some doubts over how all the pieces would go along with the brand new supervisor, and whether or not different gamers would get picked forward of him, however he has adjusted to new techniques, new concepts very simply.

“Colombian gamers don’t often keep at one membership for too lengthy. However we’re very glad he stayed at Liverpool after all of the hypothesis this summer time. It’s undoubtedly the very best place for him.”

Aleman believes being a part of a resurgent Colombia aspect has helped Diaz’s kind at membership stage. They reached the ultimate of the Copa America in July and are nonetheless unbeaten in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, having overwhelmed Argentina 2-1 earlier this month.

“Luis is among the leaders of the nationwide staff,” he provides. “The star remains to be James Rodriguez, he’s within the center and all the pieces strikes round him, however Luis is the higher participant presently.”

At Liverpool, the Colombian is considered in the identical bracket as Konate, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in the case of gamers whose ranges have surged after troublesome intervals on the finish of the Klopp period.

For context, it took Diaz till mid-February to achieve 5 league objectives in 2023-24. To date this season solely Manchester Metropolis’s Erling Haaland (10) has out-scored him within the high flight.

Signed as Sadio Mane’s successor broad on the left, Diaz hadn’t beforehand regarded able to offering that sort of firepower. Mane netted 20 or extra in 4 of his six seasons at Anfield.

However by way of a mix of tactical tweaks, man-management, an injection of perception and a rising sense of belonging, Diaz is now a really completely different prospect.

(High photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Photographs)