In Focus: Diaz will be central to Klopp's Reds revival

Luis Diaz is proving that he can be the man to deliver for Liverpool this season.

Goals have not come quite as easily for the Colombian at Anfield, as was the case for him at Porto. 

But with the 26-year-old finding the net in his first two Premier League outings this term, there is hope that he is set for a landmark campaign.

Ahead of the Reds' trip to Newcastle on Sunday, we take a look at Diaz's career so far and how Jurgen Klopp is now getting the best from him. 

Knee injury

Diaz was signed in a £50million deal by Liverpool in January 2022 midway through a breakout season at Porto that saw him score 16 goals in 28 games. 

The winter move was a clever bit of pre-emptive business by the Merseysiders, at a time when Sadio Mane was in his final few months at the club. 

Yet though Diaz showed immediate promise, scoring his first goal in his second Premier League appearance, he did not pick up where he left off in Portugal. 

Nevertheless, six goals and five assists in his first 26 games for the Reds was a solid, if not spectacular, return. 

Then came a frustrating second season that was disrupted by a major knee injury. The 39-cap international would only play 21 games, scoring five times and assisting three more. 

So it has been refreshing to see Diaz start the new season fit, healthy and among the goals. 

He opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea, before equalising in Liverpool's 3-1 home win over Bournemouth. 

Central positions

Diaz's two goals this season have been different, while also seeing him adopting similar positions. 

At Chelsea, Mohamed Salah played an inviting ball into the area from wide on the right, to find the left-winger who had drifted into the centre and was able to apply the finish. 

In last Saturday's clash with Bournemouth, the Reds worked their way into an area down the right. 

Diogo Jota's pass was deflected behind Diaz, who flicked the ball up and volleyed into the net. 

Again, the forward had drifted into a central position from his starting point on the left. 

When Diaz first arrived at Anfield, he played more as a traditional winger, hugging the touchline and impressing with his dribbling ability. 

Now, it looks like his game has changed to keep things simpler and try to find dangerous positions. 

As he demonstrated against the Cherries, once in these areas, Diaz is capable of moments of pure magic. 

Klopp verdict

After the Bournemouth victory, Klopp spoke glowingly about Diaz's performance. 

He said: "When Lucho is fit, I think nobody has any doubt about his quality. It was an exceptional goal he scored, an absolutely exceptional goal. 

"Top class, in a very good shape but the second half was really tough for him as well. 

"Being part of this new midfield, that was really hard for him and you could see that. Besides that, as long as he was fresh he was obviously super, super." 

Liverpool are in a period of adaptation at the moment, with a brand new midfield settling in. 

If they can create a solid base behind them, everything points to Diaz and the Reds attackers having the quality to get the team challenging for honours once again.