Jurgen Klopp defends under-fire Liverpool attacker

Despite a run of six goals and five assists in 28 appearances, a sluggish start to the current campaign has raised doubts over Luis Diaz.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has backed Luis Diaz to become a regular on the scoresheet at Anfield.

While Diaz is yet to reproduce the same prolific form he displayed at FC Porto, the Liverpool winger has generally impressed since his €47 million transfer from the Portuguese giants in January. He has produced six goals and five assists in 28 appearances across all competitions so far.

Diaz, however, missed two chances to score in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Fulham last time out, causing the Reds to lose crucial points in the opening round of the Premier League season.

📺 Jurgen Klopp on Luis Diaz:

"He's in a really good shape actually, he looks really good – and that's more important for me, that he's in these situations." 🔴 pic.twitter.com/Q906CN0P3p

— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) August 14, 2022

But Klopp, who lost star winger Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich this summer, is confident the Colombian will come good.

Asked if Diaz can score 10-15 goals this season, the German said: “Oh definitely, that is his quality. We need to see, but of course, that is his potential.

“We work on it, but not with Luis specifically. We don’t take him out because the other two scored and he didn’t, so we show him how. That’s not necessary. It’s not a problem. You can’t force it.

“Last week people were asking ‘How can you play without Sadio?’ but in November/December everybody was thinking about when he would score the next goal, and Mo [Salah] was on fire. You just let it go.

“You see the situations Luis had, big chances, and he was just unlucky. He started on the first day with us and took part in all the sessions, and that is the most important thing.

“All the rest will come. In the long term, it is of course not a problem. It is about being prepared and fighting through moments like this.”

Diaz can open his account for this season if he plays in Liverpool’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Monday.