Jurgen Klopp will soon have six elite forwards competing for three places in the Liverpool attack but the current form trio is clear.
It won’t be an easy decision for the manager, not least as having six players offers 20 potential combinations of three from which to choose. There are plenty of options which can probably be discounted, though, at least in the short term.
Having not played since early October at Arsenal, it would be asking a lot of Diaz to expect him to regularly start and contribute over the remaining 12 games.
At the opposite end of this scale, Mohamed Salah has been consistently available throughout 2022/23 and can be all-but assured of his regular spot on the right side of the attack. His standing atop the Reds’ charts for both goals and assists this term only highlights how essential his presence remains.
It is unfortunate that this duo are unlikely to feature together too often, as expected goal statistics from this campaign suggests Liverpool perform best when both Diaz and Salah are on the pitch (via Data Scouting). While they have only directly combined for one goal – with the Egyptian teeing up the Colombian against Manchester United last season – their pace on the wings can cause countless problems for opposing sides.
If we look at which players have linked up best with Salah this season then Darwin Nunez should enter the conversation immediately. All four assists the Uruguayan has logged for Liverpool have been for the Reds’ number 11, while the club’s top combination for creating clear-cut chances has been the nine which Salah has fashioned for the former Benfica man. Few Liverpool supporters would build a front three without this duo at present.
As for who joins them, it’s tricky to make a case for Diogo Jota when the Portuguese forward hasn’t scored for the club for almost a year. Even allowing for some injury problems, that’s a remarkable drought for a player who has still scored more frequently for the Reds than Sadio Mane did. Jota can at least point to being joint-third in the Liverpool assist standings for the season.
He was also involved in the one front three that has linked up directly for a goal in 2022/23. Against Ajax at Anfield, a pass from Diaz found Jota, and he played the ball onto Salah who scored.
However, after what the starting attackers achieved against United earlier this month, it’s hard to argue against Cody Gakpo joining Nunez and Salah in Klopp’s attacking trident. All three players scored twice, making it the first Liverpool game for over 15 years in which a trio bagged braces.
Roberto Firmino managed to assist and find the net himself in a late cameo in the 7-0 romp, and it remains true that nobody ties the front three together quite like the Brazilian can. It’s hard to look past the United starting trio though, even if the competition for places is fiercer than it has ever been.