Liverpool haven’t exactly got the easiest run of fixtures on their return from the international break, with tricky tests in the Premier League and the Champions League coming up.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal stand in the way of Arne Slot’s men when top-flight action kicks back into gear, whilst an away trip to RB Leipzig then awaits his confident group away from league action, who are two wins from two in the prestigious competition.
It will be intriguing to see if the Dutchman brings Luis Diaz back into his XI for the home clash with Enzo Maresca’s Blues, with the Colombian attacker on the substitutes bench for the majority of his side’s slender 1-0 away win at Crystal Palace last time out.
Diaz's form this season
Slot had the luxury of dropping Diaz knowing that Oliver Glasner’s Eagles were languishing near the foot of the league, with Cody Gakpo then stealing the headlines with an assist for Diogo Jota’s winner in place of the Reds number seven.
Still, Chelsea will be a far harder match for his table-topping side so Diaz could be thrown back into the mix, having been in electric form this season in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old has five goals and one assist next to his name from seven clashes in the league, undoubtedly helping his side pick up six wins from seven games to sit at the very top of the tree as a result.
Two of those strikes came away at Manchester United at the start of last month, as Slot’s flashy away side showed no mercy at Old Trafford in a comprehensive 3-0 demolition job, making the likes of Casemiro look like a school boy with some of his errors on the day.
Whilst Liverpool’s decision to bring Diaz into the building in 2022 continues to pay off, the Reds haven’t always struck gold in the transfer market in the attacking positions, with one purchase in 2018 going down as a notable misfire despite his cult hero status among some.
Shaqiri's time at Liverpool
Xherdan Shaqiri was arguably a perplexing buy when he arrived through the door at Anfield five years ago. Indeed, Liverpool swooped in for the Swiss attacker’s services after Stoke City fell down to the Championship despite with Gary Neville describing the winger as “unprofessional”.
The Reds picked him up for a fee of £13m, hopeful that he could prove to be a shrewd capture, with the 5 foot 7 menace showing off his class on the books of Bayern Munich and FC Basel.
20/21
22
0
4
19/20
11
1
0
18/19
30
6
5
Away from a bright first campaign that saw Shaqiri’s exploits help Klopp’s side lift the Champions League, injury issues then began to trouble him which saw his minutes significantly dry up.
Only managing to make 33 appearances across his final two campaigns, the Swiss winger just couldn’t justify his hefty pay packet playing for the Reds, which saw him rake in £80k-per-week and £4.1m-per-year across his three-season stretch at the club, according to Capology.
Diaz only earns a lesser £55k-per-week in contrast, with the Colombian forward perhaps edging closer to a wage increase down the line if he keeps up his stellar easy season form for Slot’s men.
Taking into account Shaqiri’s £13m transfer fee, on top of his yearly wages, the ex-Bayern man would cost the Reds a sizeable chunk overall at £25m.
Whilst Diaz aims to continue firing on all cylinders, Shaqiri now finds himself back in his native Switzerland playing for Basel, as the 33-year-old begins to contemplate the end point of his playing days.
He did have some moments of magic in a Reds strip, with this strike against Man United in 2018 late on a fond memory Liverpool fans will still latch onto, but he did end up costing the Premier League club lots of money that could have better spent elsewhere.
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