Liverpool legend John Barnes claimed that Luis Diaz has regularly proved the most important player to Arne Slot's team this season, despite the goalscoring prowess of Mohamed Salah.
The Colombian has mainly operated from his natural left-wing spot for Liverpool this season, though on occasion Slot has preferred using him centrally - most notably to great effect against Manchester City.
But while his nine goals and two assists don't quite match Salah's output, Diaz’s smarts haven’t gone unnoticed among his left-wing predecessors at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah the better goalscorer, but Luis Diaz is more important for Liverpool
“He plays in the position I did, but he’s not someone who’ll go down the line and put in a cross on his left foot for someone to score like I did,” Liverpool legend John Barnes told FFT in November, when speaking about the importance Diaz has on the team. “If I was playing today, I’d be playing on the right, coming in to score goals, not creating for others, because that’s the way modern football is.
“Diaz is a very individualistic player, a very good dribbler – he doesn’t create a lot for others, but he’s not in the team to do that, he’s there to score goals or come infield and make passes.
“He’s done better than I expected – it’s hard coming from Portugal, but he’s been on fire. The fans love him because he’s quick, skilful and energetic, and he always gives 100 per cent in and out of possession. He’s a real Liverpool type of player. Mo Salah gets a lot of goals, but sometimes dips in and out of games. Diaz has been our most dangerous guy for the full 90 minutes, every time I’ve seen him play.”
And Barnes would know, having spent a decade at Liverpool often upstaging the main man in the team. Whether it was Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish at the beginning of his Anfield career or Robbie Fowler towards the end, Barnes' silky left foot often proved more important than the goals the aforementioned stars managed - much in the same way, he suggests, Diaz and Salah dovetail at Liverpool now.
Whether other Liverpool fans agree with Barnes or not is another matter, but Diaz's importance to the Reds cannot be understated.
His intensity both on and off the ball is imperative to their attacking output and defensive solidity, while consistency has become a much more prominent feature in Diaz's game, too.
