The Reds need to put their Merseyside frustration behind them against Wolves on Sunday and playing with a proper centre-forward would help
Arne Slot summed it up perfectly. When asked about his dismissal after the full-time whistle at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, the Liverpool manager replied, "My emotions got the better of me." Which was understandable, of course. He wasn't the only person to lose their head after a chaotic conclusion to a "mental" Merseyside derby – Slot's assistant Sipke Hulshoff and midfielder Curtis Jones also saw red.
However, the Dutchman was understandably disappointed with himself because of the way in which he expressed his frustration with Michael Oliver's horribly inept handling of the 2-2 draw with Everton. "I should have acted differently," Slot told reporters on Friday. "It is an emotional sport and sometimes individuals with emotions make the wrong decisions. That is definitely what I did. I would have loved to do it differently if I could go back. I hope to do it differently next time as well."
Of course, Liverpool's legion supporters will be hoping that there won't be anymore flash points involving Slot or his players between now and the end of the Premier League season. The Reds let their emotions get the better of them last year and that played a big role in the mental and physical fatigue which led to their late collapse. This, then, is a time for cool heads – and some serious thought on what Slot should do to ensure Liverpool maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Getty Images SportHistory repeating itself?
As Everton fans revelled in pointing out, Liverpool effectively lost the league at Goodison last April after putting in a performance so poor that then-manager Jurgen Klopp felt compelled to apologise to the fans. However, as the German acknowledged himself, the real damage had been done at Old Trafford.
On March 17, Liverpool were beaten 4-3 at Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The shock exit shouldn't have affected the title challenge – but it did. Badly.
Klopp admitted that losing a derby that they should have won easily felt like "a catastrophe" to the players and it was clear during the subsequent 2-2 draw with United in the league three weeks later that they still weren't over it.
"We lost more in that [FA Cup] game than the game itself," Klopp later admitted. "It didn't help at all."
The natural fear is that another bitterly frustrating 2-2 draw coming so soon after a Cup loss to a poor team (Plymouth Argyle in this latest instance) could send Liverpool careering out of control once again.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportDiaz up top no longer working
The Reds were certainly rattled at Goodison – even before Abdoulaye Doucoure elected to wind up the away fans – and it was telling that Harvey Elliott admitted afterwards that, from the players' perspective, it was a draw that felt like a defeat.
So, with Wolves up next at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool would appear to have an ideal fixture to help them immediately put Wednesday behind them ahead of two of their toughest remaining fixtures: Aston Villa and Manchester City away.
No matter whom Slot selects, one would imagine that the Reds will have far too much firepower for a team currently sitting 17th in the standings, just two points above the drop zone.
However, it feels imperative that he restores one of his recognised centre-forwards to the starting line-up as it's become clear that deploying Luis Diaz as a No.9 is no longer working.
Getty Images SportA masterstroke against Leverkusen but…
Arne Slot's decision to play Diaz through the middle in the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen in November proved a masterstroke, with the Colombian scoring three times in Liverpool's rousing 4-0 win over Xabi Alonso's side.
However, even Slot admitted he was surprised at just how well it worked out, while he also acknowledged that it was never meant to be a long-term strategy.
Slot simply felt it was the best option at that time, in that particular game, because Diogo Jota was out injured and he also felt that Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah "prefers to play against a target man".
Diaz as the 'false nine' has subsequently worked well against Spurs, West Ham and arguably also Manchester City. However, the former Porto player's dramatic drop in output has become impossible to ignore.
Getty Images SportThe frustrating final product
The one frustration with Diaz since he arrived at Anfield has been his end product. He proved himself a real livewire from the moment he signed in January 2022 but there was always the feeling that if the best dribbler at the club could increase the accuracy of his crossing and finishing, he'd be unstoppable.
There were signs at the start of the current campaign that he was on the cusp of doing precisely that, at least in terms of adding goals to his game.
Slot and his coaching staff concentrated a lot of time and effort on getting Diaz to get himself into more dangerous positions in the area during pre-season – and the hard work initially looked set to pay off, with the winger netting five times in Liverpool's first five Premier League games.
However, he's managed just three since (and two of those came in the same game, the 6-3 rout of Tottenham).
Diaz is still well on track to surpass last season's tally of 13 goals in all competitions (he currently has 12) – but he's yet to score or assist in 2025 despite starting the past six league games up front.
