Luis Diaz could leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has been touted as his replacement. But how do they compare?
With the help of our partners at FotMob, we look at how Rodrygo compares to Luis Diaz and whether he would be a suitable replacement.
Last season’s roles
It is important to note that, though Rodrygo is being held up as a possible successor to Diaz on the left side of Liverpool’s attack, neither were fixed in that role last season.
Diaz established himself as Arne Slot‘s first-choice No. 9 with 14 of his 36 Premier League appearances coming up front, while Rodrygo played 14 LaLiga games on the right, nine on the left and seven up front.
That could be seen as a useful quality if the Brazilian is to replace Liverpool’s No. 7, though, with it clear Slot favours versatility – particularly in attack.
Goals and assists
Clearly, the most important metric for an attacking player comes in the form of goals and assists, and there is one clear winner when comparing Rodrygo and Diaz last season.
While he clocked 473 minutes more on the pitch in the Premier League, Diaz also scored seven more goals, with 13 in the league to Rodrygo’s six.
The pair were equal on five assists each while Diaz created seven more chances – 56 to 49 – albeit at a rate of one every 43 minutes compared to one every 39.5.
Variety of goals
Of Diaz’s 13 goals in the Premier League, all of them came from inside the box; five of Rodrygo’s six were from inside the box.
But there was more variety in the Colombian’s finishing, with: seven right-footed goals, three left-footed goals, two headers and one bundled in with his chest.
Rodrygo scored five with his right foot and one with his left.
Diaz also recorded better results for:
- Shooting accuracy: 61% to 53%
- Shots per 90: 1.82 to 1.77
- Shots on target per 90: 1.12 to 0.93
- Goals per 90: 0.49 to 0.28
- xG + xA per 90: 0.62 to 0.38
Throughout last season, Diaz was a more consistent threat as part of Liverpool’s attack than Rodrygo was in a Real Madrid forward line dominated by Kylian Mbappe.
Defensive efforts
As part of Liverpool’s attack, forwards are expected to contribute almost as much off the ball as they are on it – and that is one of the main areas in which Diaz has excelled.
Last season, no Liverpool player won possession more times in the final third per 90 in the league than Diaz (0.82).
In terms of overall defensive metrics, the 28-year-old produced stronger results than Rodrygo in four out of six attributes:
- Successful tackles per 90: 0.97 to 0.65
- Blocks per 90: 0.82 to 0.74
- Headed clearances per 90: 0.19 to 0.14
- Possession won in the final third per 90: 0.82 to 0.42
Rodrygo was, however, more effective in terms of interceptions per 90 (0.51 to Diaz’s 0.26) and clearances per 90 (0.33 to 0.26).
A gamble for Liverpool?
While This Is Anfield understands Liverpool do not currently have plans to move forward with a deal for Rodrygo, the idea continues to be pushed – likely from the player’s side.
If it did come to fruition it would resemble something of a gamble in replacing a player of Diaz’s proven, well-rounded quality with one with perhaps more potential but less consistent output.
Rodrygo may be required to be less of a main man in Liverpool’s attack, complementing the likes of Mohamed Salah and new signing Hugo Ekitike, but it is unclear if he would be the right target.
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