Troy Deeney Names Liverpool Man Who Needs to ‘Step Up More’ for Arne Slot

Liverpool had another productive weekend, though Troy Deeney hasn’t been entirely impressed with all their players recently.

While picking his Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Sport, the former Watford striker included Cody Gakpo and remarked:

“I thought Luis Diaz would step up more if I’m being totally honest but Cody Gakpo just seems to be growing in confidence under Arne Slot, scoring vital goals.

“He came off after 68 minutes and he probably would have scored four or five if he’d stayed on.”

It’s great to see Liverpool No.18 included alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold in the squad, but the comments regarding Luis Diaz might catch the attention of the fans.

The Colombian started the season strongly with five goals and an assist in his first five Premier League matches. However, in his last five games, he has found the net just once.

Luis Diaz Form Hasn’t Been as Good as the Start of the Season

It’s evident that Arne Slot has recently favoured No.7 in the central attacking role, a position that hasn’t consistently delivered as many goal contributions as others throughout the campaign.

Martin Keown has also highlighted a recent dip in form from the former Porto star, and the statistics seem to support this observation.

That said, the 28-year-old’s work rate remains crucial for the Reds, which explains why Arne Slot continues to trust him in the starting XI.

With such strong options available, including Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa, and Darwin Nunez, it’s clear how difficult it has been to displace Diaz from the line-up.

Fans are always pleased to see him in the starting team, which is perhaps the clearest indicator that, despite room for improvement in goals and assists, he is still making a valuable contribution.

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