Despite having a dismal season, the Colombian star has been one of Liverpool’s few bright spots. However, he will now be sidelined until after the World Cup due to injury. If Jurgen Klopp had any optimism that Liverpool’s trip to Arsenal on Sunday would serve as the season’s opener, he could not have been more mistaken. Any remaining dreams the Reds may have had of making a title campaign this season were dashed by their close, bitter, but arguably well-deserved defeat at the Emirates. Their current struggle is for a top-four spot, and even that appears to be tough.
Even more so, given the injury-related loss of yet another important player. Due to knee ligament injuries sustained in the first half of the match in north London, Luis Diaz won’t be seen until after the World Cup. It makes sense why Klopp appeared thunderous when he conducted his post-game interviews.
With 10 games to be played over the next 31 days, beginning on Wednesday with Rangers in the Champions League, the Colombian has been one of the few Liverpool players to perform at anything near to their peak level this season. His absence will be felt greatly.
It will undoubtedly result in another tactical reorganization as a start. In the Reds’ last two games, Klopp has used a 4-4-2/4-2-4 formation, putting four attacking players on the pitch to put his team back on the offensive. He lacks a natural left-sided option for that system without Diaz, though. Diogo Jota is most likely to slot in, but in a 4-3-3 formation, which would at least allow Klopp to keep one of his key forwards as a game-changing sub.
It would be beneficial to provide those that are left with some form. Darwin Nunez has convinced as a No. 9 in his last two games, and Roberto Firmino is scoring goals even though his overall contribution to games has clearly decreased. However, Jota has not scored in his last 19 Liverpool appearances, and Salah has only nine goals in his last 32, with only six of those goals coming from open play. With more than 20 minutes still to play at Arsenal, the Egyptian was substituted despite continuing to work hard and pose a threat. If ever there was a sign of the times, this is it.
The majority of the time, Diaz has demonstrated the tenacity and fight that Klopp expects from his players this year. He has contributed to a struggling club with four goals and three assists, including one on Sunday for Nunez. Who knows where Liverpool would be without him? But they are without him. He won’t be playing for them this week against Rangers and Manchester City, and then the following week against West Ham and Nottingham Forest. In the background are Ajax, Leeds, Napoli, Tottenham, and Southampton. No game appears to be simple right now, not even the Carabao Cup match against Derby County in a month.
Liverpool can ill-afford to fall further behind Tottenham, Chelsea, or Manchester United in the race for the top four since Klopp has already acknowledged that they are not in the title race. Before the last gameday, when Serie A leaders Napoli visit Anfield, he’d be thrilled if they could advance out of their Champions League group.
Currently, it is believed that not even the manager is fully aware of how to fix Liverpool. He is aware of their mistakes, which are too numerous to enumerate here, but the remedies are far less clear. The modification in shape partially succeeded, but no strategy is foolproof when world-class athletes consistently commit such simple mistakes.
The only thing they can do is continue, so they do. Concentrate on your work and wait for the switch to turn on. We can only hope that Andy Robertson returns from his injury layoff with renewed energy, that Nunez goes on a scoring streak, that Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho remember who they are, and that Salah finds his shooting shoes.
Also, let’s hope Trent Alexander-ankle Arnold’s issue isn’t as terrible as it appeared to be on Sunday. The defender and Joel Matip, who has a calf problem, are both anticipated to be out for a fortnight.
Unfortunately, Diaz had no such luck. He won’t play for Liverpool until, at the earliest, Boxing Day.
The most recent hammer blow in a season that has, thus far, been littered with them.
