Luis Díaz can make a case to have been Liverpool’s most impressive performer in its 4-1 win at Brentford on Saturday. That’s no mean feat when all five of the senior forwards contributed to at least one of the goals.
If hailing the Colombian as the Player of the Match is a step too far, it was a good outing by his own standards. Díaz recorded eight shot-creating actions, becoming the first Liverpool player to hit this arbitrary mark for the fourth time this season. He has had more, notching double figures in the 4-2 win over Newcastle, as have others, but it was a good tally nonetheless.
The 27-year-old topped the match standings for final third passes, both attempted and completed, and only Christian Nørgaard from either side matched Diaz’s total of three chances created. Liverpool’s number seven was also the game’s leading player for completed dribbles, with his total of four at least double that of any other player. However, his work with the ball at his feet showed both a strength and an issue that needs correcting.
By succeeding with four of his five attempted take-ons, Díaz turned his dribble success rate in the right direction. Having completed 63.3 per cent of his take-ons in the league in 2021/22, the Colombian saw that figure drop to 49.2 per cent last season and it stands at 45.0 per cent for this campaign (per FBRef). Where he hasn’t had an issue has been with using his carries to generate shots for himself or chances for his teammates.
The Opta definition of a carry is where a player moves the ball five meters or more. Lots of these actions are recorded in every match; Ibrahima Konaté completes 21 carries per 90 minutes while his partner Virgil van Dijk is averaging 18. Very few from center-backs lead directly to goal attempts, though, with attackers obviously topping the standings for carries with tangible output.
Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United leads the 2023/24 Premier League for chance-creating carries, with 42, while Mohamed Salah is inevitably Liverpool’s top man, with 30, and Díaz is just behind on 28. Remarkably, all four goals at Brentford featured one.
Three of them saw the eventual scorer carry the ball into the penalty box themselves, while Alexis Mac Allister did his dribbling there after receiving a pass from Salah. For the final goal, Diaz completed a carry to deliver an assist for the third time this season, with Cody Gakpo the lucky recipient on this occasion. Only four players have set up more goals in this fashion in the top flight this season and only Ollie Watkins, with six, is more than one ahead of Díaz.
