Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz failed the test again, as Liverpool needs better outlets in games where they lack possession. Liverpool secured a narrow away victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg of the Champions League Round of 16 bout.
However, the French club thoroughly dominated the Reds throughout the game while pinning them deep in their half on Wednesday. While PSG deserves all the credit for their attacking prowess, fluidity and cohesiveness, Liverpool’s lack of outlet helped them immensely.
As legendary forward Mohamed Salah had a rare struggling performance at the right, Jota and Diaz needed to step up. However, the two forwards failed despite lacking as tight of a man-marking that their Egyptian teammate endured during the game.
Both Jota and Diaz have struggled with inconsistencies in influencing the overall game throughout their tenure at the Merseyside club. Jota has survived a lot of criticism due to his incredible finishing abilities, as Diaz has a similar impactful capability.
However, the transition from the middle third to the attacking third is the biggest drawback in their game. PSG’s attacking style opened up huge spaces in their defensive third, which Liverpool had the chance to exploit.
But Diaz and Jota failed to capitalize on those spaces several times during the game until Arne Slot substituted them. Despite his recent struggles, Darwin Nunez provided the key hold-up play and outlet that Liverpool lacked once he came on.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot substituted both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota after their dreadful performance against Paris Saint-Germain
The Uruguayan forward’s hold-up play and eventual pass allowed Harvey Elliott to score a late winner and a shocking victory. Speaking to TNT Sports, Slot highlighted the problem where many times Jota and Diaz had space for Liverpool to exploit Paris SG’s strategy. He said:
“They take the risk to go one-v-one all over the pitch, and that’s the only thing I can blame my players, and I think there were three, four, five, six times where we played through them and it was completely open. Maybe it also has to do with being tired or having to defend so much and in the end the last touch should be better but that is sometimes difficult if you already defended so much”
Tactical analysis of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz’s performance
According to Fotmob, Jota enjoyed only 30 touches in his 67-minute performance with 14 total passes, having 79% passing accuracy. The 28-year-old got dispossessed one time and had a 0% successful dribbles rate with two attempts along with one failed cross.
Fotmob rating from the first-leg of Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool in the Champions League. Liverpool attackers Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah registered the lowest rating for the Reds during the game.
Fotmob rating from the first-leg of Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool in the Champions League. Liverpool attackers Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah registered the lowest rating for the Reds during the game.
Jota won one tackle, one block and committed three defensive actions along with five recoveries as Liverpool was pinned back. Furthermore, the Portuguese international lost nine duels and won only three as he failed to capitalize on several counter-attacks.
Meanwhile, Diaz also had a 67-minute performance with 28 touches and 75% passing accuracy from 16 total passes. The 28-year-old had one successful dribble and got dispossessed two times while defensively winning just one out of two tackles.
He also committed four defensive actions with four recoveries during the game as he helped Andy Robertson in defending. The Colombian also lost five duels, winning only six duels, while he committed two fouls during the game.
As Diaz and Jota dropped deep, all the counter-attacking opportunities came towards them, but they failed every time. There are many games when Liverpool have to deploy similar tactics with less possession and more reliance on counter-attacks.
More Liverpool News:
The Reds cannot afford players who are limited during the transition from the middle third to the attacking third. Liverpool will face PSG once again in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie at Anfield after playing Southampton in the Premier League bout this weekend.