Liverpool head coach Arne Slot revealed that the incredible performance of Luis Diaz as a number nine even surprised him. The Dutch boss deployed Diaz at the number nine position against Bayer Leverkusen in Tuesday’s Champions League showdown at Anfield.
The Reds beat Leverkusen 4-0 to secure their fourth victory in a row in the Champions League competition this season. Liverpool are currently at the top of the Premier League and the Champions League table as they face Aston Villa.
Diaz scored a fantastic hat trick against last season’s Bundesliga’s Invincible champions to seal a huge victory in fixture congestion. As the Premier League showdown against Villa ends the post-October international break congestion, Liverpool have more massive fixtures waiting ahead.
The Reds will face Real Madrid, Manchester City and Newcastle United after the November international break with minimum rest. Slot has used the rotation policy smartly, balancing the tactics he requires against opponents with the fitness of the senior team.
The former Feyenoord boss opted to play Diaz and rest Darwin Nunez to make things harder for Leverkusen’s formidable defence. Xabi Alonso’s side is structurally strong and relies on Jonathan Tah’s power to eliminate threats from the opposition’s target man.
Using Diaz changed the situation in Liverpool’s favour as his pace and movement in channels created a lot of problems. The Colombian international has enjoyed an incredible goalscoring form this season under Slot, reacting well to the new tactical changes.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference (via Liverpoolfc.com), Slot revealed his surprise as Diaz provided Liverpool with another number nine option. He said:
“Lucho is also a very good left-winger and, at this moment, we have four attackers available for three positions, so we could come up with another idea again – but if Diogo comes back, Darwin is back, then we’ve got two No.9s available again. In the beginning of the season, I always chose one of these two but, like I said, Lucho did really well and it was even for me maybe a bit of surprise to see how well he did. Of course, I played him there for a reason, I expected him to do good, but that he did so well that was even a surprise for me.”
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Diaz provides something different to Slot compared to Nunez and Diogo Jota which only adds more options for the boss. The unpredictability of who the opposition defence could face against Liverpool can help the team outmanoeuvre various opponents.
