Arne Slot knows he must make key Luis Diaz decision to solve big Liverpool problem against Brentford

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday as they prepare to face Brentford away from home.

The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but on the balance of play, it was probably a fair result as both teams gave it a proper go.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	20	14	5	1	48	20	28	47
2	ArsenalArsenal	21	12	7	2	41	19	22	43
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	21	12	5	4	30	20	10	41
4	NewcastleNewcastle	21	11	5	5	37	22	15	38

Arne Slot has lost just once in the Premier League this season, but Liverpool’s gap at the top of the table has been reduced to just four points after Arsenal’s win against Tottenham Hotspur.

The game against Brentford is an important one as the Reds need three points to get their title challenge back on track.

Slot has thus far refrained from making too many changes to his team, but against the Bees, he must relegate Luis Diaz to the bench after what happened against Forest.

Liverpool should start Diogo Jota over Luis Diaz vs Brentford

Diaz has been in fine form this season and has played a handful of times as a centre-forward over the past two months.

It’s safe to say the Colombian has had some luck in that position as he scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League and topped it up with a brace vs Tottenham in the Premier League.

However, against Forest, it wasn’t his finest night as he endured one of his worst performances of the season.

While Mohamed Salah also wasn’t at his best, Cody Gakpo produced another spirited showing and was a huge threat, especially in the second half.

The game changed when Diogo Jota came on and he made an impact within seconds of being substituted as he headed home from close range after a brilliant corner from Kostas Tsimikas.

His goal aside, Liverpool looked a lot more potent in attack and chance after chance, with Jota himself going close to grabbing a winner before being denied on more than one occasion by the brilliant Matz Sels in goal.

Diaz served Liverpool well as a centre-forward in Jota’s absence, but the Portuguese is back to full fitness and should be named in the starting XI vs Brentford after his spirited cameo against Forest.

Diaz and Jota’s stats this season

Ray Houghton feels Diaz has been sensational this season and it goes without saying that he has shown massive signs of improvement under Slot.

However, Jota is the perfect fit for the centre-forward role, while Diaz and Gakpo can share minutes at left-wing.

Both players have shown their class this season and will be important to Liverpool’s title hopes, but Slot must ditch the Diaz at centre-forward experiment for the Premier League clash against Brentford.

​