If Liverpool have proved one thing this season, it's that their bouncebackability is second to none, having recovered countless results from losing positions and weathered harsh storms to win the Carabao Cup and sit behind Premier League table-toppers Arsenal only behind goal difference after 31 matches.
Sure, losing 3-0 at home to Atalanta – who are sixth-placed in Serie A and with the seventh-best away record in the division – in the Europa League quarter-finals first leg is hardly great, as it presents a mountainous task in Italy next week, but stranger things have happened under Jurgen Klopp's wing.
What is irrefutable however is that Liverpool have been out of sorts recently, saved by individual moments of brilliance and last-gasp winners throughout recent matches and failing to muster up the sustained fluency and fizz that is needed to compete across multiple fronts at this crucial late stage.
Two recent trips to Old Trafford have resulted in an FA Cup exit and a concession of top spot in the English top-flight; in both games, the Redmen should have won, but in both games, they didn't.
Alexis Mac Allister has been the obvious constant throughout this period but he's not the only one to have lifted his team, with Luis Diaz hitting a rich vein of form and maintaining it throughout 2024.
Luis Diaz's season in numbers
Liverpool suffered a startling nosedive last season but blame can hardly be attributed to Diaz, who spent the lion's share on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in October 2022, aggravating this issue when closing on a comeback in December.
The Colombian struggled to revive his erstwhile level of performance in the final stretch of the 2022/23 campaign and was criticised for his "awful" displays by journalist Tom Little as Liverpool closed out a forgettable season.
And despite scoring in Liverpool's opening two Premier League fixtures of the current campaign, Diaz was unable to lift himself back to the brilliance that followed his initial £37m transfer from Porto in January 2022, posting a solitary strike across his subsequent 18 league games.
That's all changed now, with the fleet-footed winger restoring his finest form to play an essential role in Liverpool's conquest for success over the past few months, hitting nine goal contributions from his past 13 Premier League appearances.
The Athletic's James Pearce has even noted that the 27-year-old has been "Liverpool's biggest attacking threat" during the club's injury-ravaged period a number of weeks ago.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for pass completion and the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.
He's a real force, a bundle of electricity, and averages 1.5 key passes, 1.7 dribbles, 3.5 ball recoveries and 4.5 successful duels per game in the Premier League this season, as per Sofascore, to underline this point.
He's certainly one of Liverpool's most influential players, but does his salary reflect that?
Luis Diaz's salary at Liverpool
Diaz arrived on Merseyside as a talented but relatively unknown commodity, though he had risen to the fore quite spectacularly in Portugal and was of concrete interest to Tottenham Hotspur before the Reds swooped in.
The transfer fee paid for his services was not extortionate but marked a sizeable outlay with a further £12m in add-ons. It is unclear how many clauses have been met in the time since his arrival.
However, one of the finest financial measures of the club's success was tying the wily winger down to a weekly salary of just £55k per week, taking him below the likes of Adrian (£60k per week) and Kostas Tsimikas (£75k per week) on the overall salary bracket.
In a different measure of Liverpool's salary success, however, Diaz is earning well over 3x less than Thiago Alcantara, who has played just five minutes of competitive football this season.
Thiago Alcantara's season in numbers
Liverpool signed Thiago, an eminent and decorated centre-midfielder, from Bayern Munich in a package rising to £25m back in 2020, with his elite range of passing and immense technical qualities enticing Klopp into launching the bid.
And while, when fit, the Spain international has been a wonderful presence in Klopp's squad, his availability has been few and far between, actually failing to start over 20 Premier League games in any single season.
And after sustaining an injury back in April 2023 Thiago has been scarcely seen, with his one appearance this term – a five-minute cameo during defeat against Arsenal in February – aggravating this unending bout of ill fortune and leaving him racing for another showing before his contract expires in June.
As a result of this, the newly-turned 33-year-old boasts a market value of just £4m – according to Football Transfers – to emphasise his bitter decline.
Furthermore, he is indeed one of Liverpool's highest earners, and for all his talent, the culmination of his contract at Anfield cannot come soon enough in this regard.
Thiago Alcantara's salary at Liverpool
Thiago has been heralded for his "staggering" ability with a football by pundit Michael Owen but this is no use if he is unable to produce any level of quality on the pitch.
Liverpool could certainly have used his talents over recent weeks and months, providing a cool head and eagle-eyed vision on the field to dictate and guide play and help Liverpool retain control – recent fixtures against Manchester United are a good example of when this could have come into play.
1.
Mohamed Salah
£350k-per-week
2.
Virgil van Dijk
£220k-per-week
3.
Thiago Alcantara
£200k-per-week
4.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
£180k-per-week
5.
Alexis Mac Allister
£150k-per-week
5.
Alisson Becker
£150k-per-week
5.
Ryan Gravenberch
£150k-per-week
Sourced via Capology
The fact that he earns £200k per week as a Liverpool player is, frankly, astounding when considering what he is offering within Klopp's system, indeed eclipsing the wage of influential, ever-present stars such as Diaz.
While an influx of central midfield talent last summer has restored Liverpool's position as a major player in both the Premier League and on the continent, there is little question that Thiago could have been the standout – or one of them – this term.
When combining his £25m transfer fee with his earnings since joining Liverpool, it can be inferred that the veteran ace has drained Liverpool over £63m since arriving on English shores, and given that only the FA Cup and Carabao Cup have been gleaned during this period – competitions that he has not made the greatest level of contribution toward – it's, unfortunately, one to put to bed.
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Klopp's departure will be keenly felt this summer, but sadly Thiago leaving in tow is only something that will benefit Liverpool going forward, freeing up room and resources for the new era.