Ian Wright believes Liverpool missed Luis Diaz during their draw against Arsenal on Thursday, January 8. He claimed that a player like the Colombian could've helped open the Gunners' low block.
The Reds faced Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League on Thursday. Both sides created multiple opportunities but failed to score. While the visitors ended with zero shots on target, they did hit the crossbar. Meanwhile, the Gunners had eight attempts, with four being on target.
After the game, Arsenal legend Ian Wright said that Liverpool missed a player like Luis Diaz on the night. He said on Premier League Productions (h/t Rousing the Kop):
“If you’re not going to replace like for like for the low block, then you’re probably going to end up with games like that. Because you look at Frimpong, unbelievable pace. He gets down there but his end product seems to be something that he’s lacking at the moment.
“But like you get rid of a Luis Diaz who can open teams up with a low block with his skill, his trickery and you lose that and you don’t replace that then you are going to have a problem with it.”
Diaz recorded 41 goals and 23 assists in 148 games for Liverpool after joining them from FC Porto in January 2022. He joined Bayern Munich last summer for a reported fee of €75 million.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright on Viktor Gyokeres' performance against Liverpool
Ian Wright claimed that the Gunners should have scored in the first half from the number of chances they created against Liverpool. When asked about Viktor Gyokeres, he added that the striker should've been in the position to convert some of these chances.
The former England striker said on Premier League Productions:
"What I would say though Mike, with those teams you mentioned, they had a striker that can… In those moments when the game's tight, you're not going to get many chances, that's what we thought we bought and that's what you need. Look at the balls that went across goal. When you're paying that kind of money, they have to be there."
"That's what makes the difference in games like this because we created enough in the first half to get something but we didn't have someone to take the chance. Then in the second half you get more and more nervous because of everything Arsenal are trying to do. You could feel them getting more nervous and deeper and you can't do that. We need to finish games off a bit more comfortably than we are at the minute," he added.
Gyokeres attempted no shot against Liverpool, completed 6/7 passes, and won 0/1 ground duels. Since joining Arsenal from Sporting CP last summer, he's scored just seven goals in 24 games across competitions.