Diaz having to deal with unreasonable expectations

From the moment that the departure of Sadio Mane from Liverpool was confirmed in the summer of 2022, questions were inevitably going to be asked about who would step up and fill the void left by a Senegalese superstar.

Mohamed Salah may have been sticking around, with a new contract tucked under his arm, and Roberto Firmino was still on the books at Anfield, but a destructive wheel that had run over many an opponent was now missing its third spoke.

Repair

Sadio Mane: The next chapter starts here pic.twitter.com/5dfMoParg4

— GOAL (@goal) June 22, 2022

Would it still be operational with said part removed? Could Jurgen Klopp oversee a repair job that fixed a potential problem before it became a source of concern? Answers to those questions remain somewhat up in the air as the Reds sit at 6/1 for title glory in 2022-23 and 7/1 for another European triumph.

That is due in part to the fact that replacing Mane was always going to be an impossible task. His role in recent successes, with Liverpool becoming a reliable pick in free football tips, cannot be underestimated. He may not have always stolen the headlines, but his byline was always there or thereabouts. Without him operating alongside Salah and Co, Premier League, Champions League, World Club Cup, FA Cup and League Cup successes would not have been as easy to come by.

So the issue remains – who fills the gap? Well, the logical option was to look towards Luis Diaz for inspiration, with the Colombian winger offering plenty on the back of a move from Porto in the January transfer window of 2022 to suggest that he was capable of stepping up to the plate.

He settled quickly on Merseyside and had enough tricks up his sleeve to keep an excited fan base on the edge of their seats – if not fully on their feet. He slipped seamlessly into the fold and benefited from having the likes of Mane alongside him.

For the most part, a South American newcomer was given free rein. The expectation was that an adjustment period would be required, with no targets set for a man who was having to adjust to the demands of life in a new division and country.

With Mane gone, more is now required. Klopp has said of Diaz’s ability to make a telling contribution in the final third of the field: “Oh definitely he can get 10-15 goals this season. That is his quality. We need to see, but of course that is his potential.”

Different

Vamos, Luis! pic.twitter.com/Gyo7ZB2jzA

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 15, 2022

If Diaz hits those marks, then his campaign should be considered a success. He was never prolific in Portugal, hitting 41 goals through 125 appearances, with a further 18 assists thrown into the mix. While his record was one in three at finding the target and one in seven when it comes to teeing up a team-mate, Mane went one in two with 120 goals in 269 outings for Liverpool and lined up 49 efforts for grateful colleagues.

Diaz is not cut from the same cloth. Plenty at Liverpool acknowledge and accept as much, but outside noise can be difficult to drown out. Comparisons to a former hero were always going to be made but they were, and always will be unrealistic and it is up to a star of the present to prove that he can shine a different kind of light.