Liverpool made a horrible mistake selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich and putting their trust in one-dimensional Cody Gakpo

It's important to note that Diaz did push for a move, but only after contract extension talks broke down. Clearly, Liverpool did not make him feel as valued as they should have, because there was no good footballing reason for him to leave.

Slot had put the Reds back on top in England, and they only exited the Champions League after a round-of-16 penalty shootout defeat to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. There was talk of a new dynasty at Anfield, which didn't feel far-fetched, and Diaz should have been given untouchable status.

He registered 25 goal involvements in 50 appearances across all competitions, and although that was two fewer than Gakpo managed, seven of them came in Liverpool's final 11 Premier League matches. They may not have got over the line had Diaz not emerged as such an inspirational force.

Whether he was rotating with Gakpo on the left or playing through the middle, the Colombia international consistently delivered the goods, and even outshone top scorer Mohamed Salah, who appeared to run out of steam in the final weeks of the season.

Diaz had also played a key role in an FA Cup win and back-to-back Carabao Cup successes in the Jurgen Klopp era, becoming one of the most electrifying players in English football. It was baffling that all of that seemed to be forgotten when Liverpool honed in on Wirtz as their priority summer target.

Even more unforgivable was the fact that Gakpo was instantly put ahead of Diaz in the squad pecking order after Wirtz's arrival. Don't be fooled by the statistics from Slot's debut year at the Anfield helm; the Dutchman's game does not measure up to Diaz's.

While Diaz was essential to Liverpool's pressing game and wreaked havoc with his unpredictable dribbling and incisive passing, Gakpo is a one-dimensional forward who goes missing too often. The former PSV man doesn't boast the same turn of pace as Diaz or physical strength, and is far too reliant on his right foot, which makes it easy for defenders to force him into unfavourable positions.

Gakpo was never going to outrun those flaws in the long run, despite his impressive precision finishing and technical quality. Indeed, although he opened the current campaign with four goals and three assists in his first 13 outings, Gakpo's penchant for flitting in and out of matches was clearly hampering Liverpool's fluidity.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand observed as much, saying on his podcast in October: "I think Diaz leaving, I don't know if that's good business. I think he's a top player, Diaz. Being allowed to leave the club, have they replaced him with anything better? Is Gakpo better? I would say no, no chance. They're not functioning, they're not playing as well."

Fast-forward to the present day, and those problems are persisting for Liverpool. A 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday left Slot's men languishing in sixth in the table, a whopping 17 points behind leaders Arsenal and four adrift of the Champions League qualifying spots.

Gakpo only recorded a measly 30 touches in his 85 minutes on the pitch at Anfield, failing to muster a shot on target while giving up possession eight times. In short, he was the definition of ineffective, continuing a worrying theme, and some Liverpool officials may be regretting the decision to tie the Netherlands international down to a new five-year deal in August.

You know exactly what is going to happen whenever Gakpo gets on the ball; he will cut inside and find himself crowded out, halting any momentum Liverpool may have had. He lacks the imagination and explosiveness that made Diaz such a unique asset.

At this point, Slot would be better off giving 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha a run of games instead of persisting with Gakpo. He's shrinking in the face of adversity, and Liverpool cannot afford to carry any passengers as they bid to salvage what has so far been a disastrous campaign.

In stark contrast, Diaz is thriving in his new Munich surroundings. The former Porto ace has racked up a combined 32 goals and assists in his first 30 appearances for Bayern, with five of those coming against Hoffenheim at the weekend.

Diaz won the two penalties that Harry Kane dispatched and scored a hat-trick himself as Bayern ran out 5-1 winners against the Bundesliga's third-placed side. It was as close to a perfect display as anything we've seen in Europe's top-five leagues this term, and his third goal was particularly brilliant, with Diaz bursting away from his marker on the edge of the box before placing the ball into the far corner with unerring accuracy.

"Fantastic player, really happy to be playing with him," Kane said to ESPN when quizzed on Diaz after the game, having built up an instant rapport with the Colombian. "He was a threat the whole game, he can get it into wide positions and cause defenders trouble one-v-one, he can come inside, he can go down the line, and he gets into the dangerous areas. I said that when he first arrived, he gets into the six-yard box, he gets into those tap-in areas that get you those important goals, and you saw that again today."

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen added to the club's media channel: "We really are enjoying Luis Diaz, he’s a real whirlwind." That was a fitting description for Diaz, whose dynamism has taken Vincent Kompany's team to another level.

Bayern are well on course to retain the Bundesliga, sitting six points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the summit, and proved their Champions League credentials by handily beating Chelsea and PSG in the league phase, with Diaz bagging a brace against the latter. They are also through to the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal, with a clean sweep of silverware on the cards if their frontline continues to function so marvellously.

Diaz, Kane and Michael Olise have all the makings of a history-making trio that could one day rank alongside Barcelona's famed 'MSN' and Real Madrid's 'BBC'. Kane gets most of the headlines as Bayern's main source of goals, but Diaz and Olise have earned comparisons to a legendary duo that drove the club's success between 2010 and 2020.

Eberl said to Sky Sports Germany last month: "When I see Michael's position and moves, he resembles Arjen Robben. He's kind of the new Robben we've got. Delicate, elegant. And with Lucho on the other side, we've got that Franck Ribery type, the creative chaos-maker. Our wing partnership is extraordinary."

In his own words, Diaz had a "special connection" with Salah at Liverpool, and it appears he has replicated it with Olise. Their inverted wing play has been a joy to watch, Olise providing the control to complement Diaz's knack for causing mayhem, and their end product is already rivalling that of the so-called 'Robbery' pairing.

The similarities between Ribery and Diaz are particularly startling, though. Ribery was also a maverick who could open up games in the blink of an eye, and his fighting qualities off the ball set an example for the rest of the team. He blended breath-taking skill with ferocious determination, and Diaz is cut from the same cloth. At his peak, Ribery was unstoppable and extremely unfortunate not to win the Ballon d'Or; perhaps Diaz can go on to accomplish what the Frenchman could not.

How Slot must wish he still had Diaz to call upon now. He's a match-winner who relishes closing people down just as much as bursting through on goal, and Gakpo never should have been put on a higher pedestal. 

Liverpool are paying a steep price for their horrible mistake. Another prime example of how their attack has faltered came in their 2-1 defeat at Chelsea earlier in the season, which left Gary Neville "really disappointed" in his Sky Sports commentary seat. "The midfield players and the forwards were absolutely useless," said the former England and United defender. "They were giving the ball away like you wouldn't believe. Gakpo, Salah, the wastage."

Ex-Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge then pinpointed the main issue in the Sky Sports studio: "Luis Diaz is a massive miss for me. When you look at Liverpool last year and how they used to press, I think arguably he was the one who would set the press in the front three. For me, Luis Diaz, how tenacious he is on the ball and how hungry he is to get it back for his team - he brought something to Liverpool that they are now missing.

"He would sacrifice himself defensively. That’s what they’ve got to figure out now - who in that attack is going to give themselves up a little bit. In a front three there always has to be one guy who goes, ‘I’m not stats hungry.’ I’m not sure the manager knows what he’s going to do."

Slot still hasn't found a way to make up for the loss of Diaz, who embodied the unshakable team spirit within the dressing room in his final year at Anfield. Liverpool will have to set their sights on a proper replacement for him to get that back in 2026-27, because Gakpo simply isn't up to the task.