At the beginning of Arne Slot’s reign at Anfield it was clear that Luis Diaz was the preferred option on Liverpool’s left flank.
But after a string of eye-catching performances from Cody Gakpo in recent weeks, the manager has a dilemma on his hands.
Slot inherited a plethora of attacking talent from Jurgen Klopp’s final squad at Liverpool.
Diaz had cemented himself as one of the first names on the team sheet under Klopp and his position on the left wing was relatively unchallenged by his understudy Gakpo, who was regularly deployed at centre forward and midfield to squeeze him in to the team.
However, a brace against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in October forced Gakpo in to contention and it has been hard for his fellow dutchman Slot to find a reason to leave him out.
Diaz has brought consistent quality in his performances for the Reds at the start of the season.
Start to the season
Although Gakpo started the match at St Mary’s on Sunday, it is hard to argue that if Diaz had not travelled to South America for international duty, that he would not have been Slot’s choice on the flank against Southampton.
Each game seems like a toss up at this point in the season and the data reflects that, with Diaz leading in starts but Gakpo making more appearances for the new manager.
Both Players boast impressive starts to the season statistically, with extremely similar goal and assist outputs for the Reds.
Diaz hit the ground running with goals against Brentford, Bournemouth and Manchester United in August and September but Gakpo has chipped away at his numbers in recent weeks with his goals in the League Cup and his singular goals in both the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen, and in the Premier League against Brighton in November.
The wingers have the same number of assists and an almost identical output on international duty. This again leaves little for Slot to refer to when pondering his team selection.
Defensive output
Slot has emphasised his desire to see his wingers dig in and do the defensive work for the team this season.
This is in stark contrast to Klopp’s more lenient and attack-minded outlook on the role of his wide men. Both wingers have adapted to the requirements of the new boss with improved defensive output.
The numbers are more or less identical, however the statistics biggest contrast is the way the players go about their work.
Diaz is a much more aggressive defender, with a higher number of fouls per 90 which could be seen as reckless by Slot, whilst Gakpo is more passive defensively.
Slot’s defensive preference cannot be a significant factor in selection if he looks at the stats, the only influence it may have is mid game if Liverpool are defending a slim lead and he believes that Gakpo’s calm defensive game would be preferred to the physical and involved nature of Diaz’s game.
Going forward
The deeper attacking statistics reflect a contrast in styles of attacking and what is ultimately the main point of difference between the two players.
Diaz’s dominance in dribbling and xG numbers are a result of his much more direct nature which is evident when watching the way he approaches the box on the Liverpool left.
He is much more effective in a fast paced, end to end contest than his Dutch counterpart because of his frightening speed and effectiveness when he has space to drive in to.
On the other hand, Gakpo thrives when he has time to dwell on the ball, his key passing stats show his tendency to cut inside and drive passes into the centre of the pitch when Liverpool are coming up against a more defensively secure opposition.
The other contrast is the number of steals per game. It is clear to see when studying the players, that Gakpo has a much more considered and polished way of pressing.
He doesn’t rush into his target but he presses with concentration and calmness which holds his man up and leads to more time to approach and steal the ball. This creates more opportunities for Liverpool by stealing the ball higher up the pitch.
The fact is that Slot has two extremely useful tools in his arsenal.
There are slight differences in their style but their effectiveness is incredibly similar. This isn’t a problem right now for Slot.
However, history shows that having two high quality players in the same position sharing minutes cannot last as both will believe that they are doing enough to cement themself in a first team.
Slot will have to make the most out of the red hot form of the two whilst he can, and with the intense period of games approaching he will surely have the chance to study both players on the biggest stages before he must make his decision.
