Anfield was in cacophonous rapture; Manchester United felled by a Liverpool effort so blistering, so devastating in its intensity one would be forgiven for mistaking the home side for a ceaseless storm.
It was a result of former glory, a reminder of the head coach at the helm of the Reds ship: Jurgen Klopp.
Granted, Liverpool have crumbled like sand this season, a disparate world from the formerly robust and unwavering bundle of energy that obliterated the most formidable of outfits, enjoying success unforeseen at Anfield during modern history and winning a wealth of major honours including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup – and now securing top-four and a place in Europe’s coveted continental competition next term is the most illustrious recipe for success.
Liverpool have been mired with mediocrity this season, and have incredibly not spent a single match-week inside Champions League contention after 25 matches, only recently returning to form with a blistering purple patch that has indeed been iced by the recent dismantling of the Red Devils, Carabao Cup champions a week prior.
It all came together with seamless splendour, and the offensive fluidity might just rekindle the fire that has waned this year, no doubt exacerbated by the absence of Luis Diaz, who has spent the majority of the campaign confined to the medical room.
When will Luis Dias return from injury?
Diaz suffered a detrimental injury against table-toppers Arsenal in October, and has not graced the pitch since, missing 26 matches, but a recent tweet from Colombian journalist Diego Rueda stated that the wily winger “could return” to face Bournemouth this weekend.
Despite missing the bulk of the campaign, the 26-year-old started strongly with four goals and three assists from 12 appearances, and there is a sense that Liverpool’s woes might not be so profound had he avoided an extensive layoff.
How does Dias fit into Liverpool’s current team?
Signed from Porto for £37m in January 2022, Diaz has scored ten goals and served eight assists from 38 appearances for his Merseyside outfit, lauded as “exceptional” by Klopp for his abilities and seamless integration into the Liverpool attack.
As per FBref, the £55k-per-week phenom ranks among the best 14% of wingers in Europe’s top five divisions for goals, the top 20% for assists, the top 10% for pass completion and the top 7% for successful take-ons, and his transitional nature could have paid dividends for a stagnant Reds attack devoid of confidence for the majority of the term.
With his return, he could link up with £35m winter signing Cody Gakpo, who has started to blossom after a troubling start and netted two emphatic strikes against United in the recent goal-laden victory.
Gakpo, now with four goals from seven Premier League outings, is a “fleet-footed” – as lauded by The Times’ Hamzah Khalique-Loonat – and dynamic forward, capable of flourishing as a centre-forward and on the left wing, and with Diaz’s progressive approach and Gakpo’s imposing presence, it could be the inception of “something special” at Anfield, as Gakpo was proclaimed by Fabrizio Romano.
Indeed, the Dutch attacker ranks among the top 9% of positional peers throughout the continent for goals, the top 15% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for assists, and with such versatility in creative threat, Diaz, who similarly flourishes from multiple dimensions.
The triad of doubles from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Gakpo in the incredible victory over Man United suggests that Klopp might have landed a winning formula on the offensive front, but given Diaz’s impact since his arrival from Porto, he could just be the final cog to get the machine whirring with consistency and conviction.
Just imagine the dynamic partnership he could forge with Gakpo, whose skill set complements Diaz’s perfectly…