Luis Díaz: Evolving from Winger to a Versatile All-Round Forward

Data Insights on the development of the in-form Colombian

Written on 12/11/2024

Luis Diaz has started this season well and looks to be on an upward trajectory following a summer of rumours that he might leave Liverpool and that the club were looking to replace him by signing Anthony Gordon.

All of that is out of the window now (quite literally) and a few journalists are saying that the Colombian international is keen on extending his stay at Anfield. Given how well he has done this season under Arne Slot, that would not be beyond the realms of possibility.

Before I deep dive into the data, there is a context that needs addressing when we analyse Diaz’s time at Liverpool so far. After an explosive first six months following the arrival from Porto in January 2022, the 27-year-old suffered a long-term injury following a bad challenge from Thomas Partey in October 2022. What it did was ruin the majority of the 2022/23 season.

He started the 2023/24 campaign in the right manner before the kidnapping of his father and the situation around it made it tough for him to continue the good form. Even then, we saw some of his best bits in the second half of the season.

Come the summer, after an excellent Copa America, with a new manager at Anfield, it felt like the right time for him to showcase the talent consistently on a high level. That has been the case with more to come.

This article is divided into two parts - the first part focuses on Diaz’s numbers at Liverpool and what they tell us about his performances over the years at Anfield. The second part will have a few data visuals showing how well the Colombian has started this season among the Premier League forwards and strikers.

Season-wise Progress at Liverpool

We focus on a few underlying metrics and see how Diaz has progressed or performed at the club over the years. Only league numbers are included as it gives a sufficient sample size to analyse a trend.

While the shot count has gone down compared to last season and 2021/22, the quality of chances (denoted by non-penalty xG per shot) he is getting this season is higher than ever at Liverpool. Is this transformation a result of coaching to position himself better in front of goal? The data suggests so. It’s definitely not due to an increase in opposition box touches—at 6.39 per 90 minutes, this is his lowest average since joining Liverpool.

Not just getting better opportunities, Diaz has been good at converting them so far this season as well. He is overperforming his non-penalty xG by a huge margin compared to last season. It is the best it’s ever been since arriving from Porto in January 2022.