Two goals in seven starts and 12 appearances overall is, on the face of it, a fairly moderate return for a forward in a title-chasing team. Perfectly fine, but nothing to write home about.
Yet Luis Diaz feels like a player who has done much to change the mood and complexion of Liverpool’s entire 2021/22 campaign.
A month before the Colombian winger’s £49 million arrival from FC Porto, Jurgen Klopp’s side had gone three Premier League games without a win and were anxiously eyeing upcoming Africa Cup of Nations absences for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Now, heading into what promises to be a nerve-shredding final stretch, the Reds are on a run of 10 consecutive Premier League wins, have the Carabao Cup in the bag and are in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.
For his part, Diaz has not only slotted seamlessly into the form team in world football - he has improved it.
MORE: Portugal's World Cup group breakdown
“You don’t expect miracles immediately from these kind of players,” Klopp told Sky Sports last month. “But he is not far away from doing exactly that. Long may it continue.”
The 25-year-old has instantly tapped into the frenetic productivity of Liverpool’s frontline - something that has not always been a given for the supporting cast in the magnificent era of Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino.
The key numbers - in England and Portugal
Diaz has instantly adapted to Klopp’s core demands of pressing from the front and effectively counter-pressing. According to FB Ref, he averages 7.67 pressures in the final third per 90 minutes - an output roughly on par with Firmino and higher than Mane.
He is also a menace in possession, with 5.04 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes being in excess of any of his Anfield forward colleagues.
Champions League quarter-final opponents Benfica will be familiar foes to Diaz from his time in Portugal’s top flight, and the same can be said for another of Klopp’s star attackers.
There’s not so much need to drill down into Diogo Jota’s numbers and, were it not for Salah’s consistently phenomenal returns, they might have drawn more attention as Liverpool seek to compile a season for the ages.
With 14, he ranks joint-2nd in the Premier League's scoring charts this term, behind only Salah (20). The gap between the two is trimmed to 15-14 if we restrict it to non-penalty goals.
Counting only the latter strikes, Jota’s average of 0.68 goals per 90 minutes is the best of any player in England’s top flight.
MORE: Complete Liverpool trophy list as Reds chase quadruple
It makes this Jota’s most prolific league season since his first in England, when he hit 17 in Wolves’ 2017/18 Championship promotion campaign.
Prior to that, he played in his native Portugal for Pacos de Ferreira and Porto - in the latter case on loan from Atletico Madrid. During that time, Jota scored twice in four appearances against Benfica.
He didn’t finish on the winning side in any of those games - something of a contrasting experience to Diaz when faced with the Lisbon giants.
Across seven fiercely-contested Porto vs. Benfica encounters, the Colombian never finished on the losing side, winning five.
Klopp’s strongest ever attack?
The Estadio da Luz faithful are likely to reserve a spicy reception for both, and such a focus on Liverpool attackers outside of the usual suspects will handily illustrate an important change of dynamic for Klopp.
Liverpool boast a rich history in Europe’s premier competition and the most recent chapters of that story are all about the front three that have proved a bedrock for Klopp. Mane and Salah started either side of Firmino in both the 2017/18 final defeat to Real Madrid and 2018/19 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
Mane briefly levelled for Liverpool in the former game after Salah tangled fatefully with Sergio Ramos, but the ‘Egyptian King’ returned 12 months later to open the scoring from the penalty spot.
Divock Origi came off the bench to seal that 2-0 triumph, but the Belgium international being an obvious downgrade on Klopp’s regular starters was part of a wider pattern. Xherdan Shaqiri failed to make much of an impression as a wide attacking understudy, while Takumi Minamino has remained peripheral since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
😎#LFC have 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 lost a match in which Diogo Jota has scored.
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 UK 🇬🇧 (@sportingnewsuk) April 2, 2022
That's 2️⃣6️⃣ matches and counting! 🔴 #LIVWAT pic.twitter.com/X54DJ6bBKb
The general contention during a prolonged spell of duelling with Manchester City to be top dogs in England is that, while Klopp might have arguably had a comparable first XI, he has lacked the depth of quality options available to Pep Guardiola.
Jota and Diaz mean this can no longer be reasonably claimed, as the two teams close in on potentially-defining Premier League and FA Cup semi-final clashes on April 10 and 16.
Insurance against the Salah transfer saga
Injury has played a part, but Firmino’s eight Premier League starts this season lag way behind Jota’s 20.
That marks a notable evolution of what constitutes Klopp’s best side but, as speculation continues to swirl around Salah and contracts remain unsigned, there might be revolution in the air.
Salah is unquestionably one of the very best footballers on the planet right now and if he chose a money-spinning move elsewhere, Liverpool would feel the pinch. But Jota and Diaz mean such a turn of events should not prompt as much fear on Merseyside as it might have done a couple of years ago.
Mane and Salah’s runs to the AFCON final was the sort of worst-case scenario some feared would derail Liverpool’s season, yet the pair returned with a bid for trophies on four fronts motoring on at pace.
Diaz and Jota will be a key part of that equation, however far it has to run until the end of May. Beyond that, their importance looks set to increase.
On Tuesday, they will go back to Lisbon to offer the clearest proof yet that they are Liverpool’s future.
