Comparing Luis Diaz's stats to Sadio Mane's

Liverpool have signed Luis Diaz as a successor for Sadio Mane, but does he have what it takes?

Luis Diaz was brought in by Liverpool in January as part of their plan to find the successors to Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Diaz is seen as Mane’s successor, but does he have what it takes?

To compare the two wingers, we’ve taken a look at their season's stats, in particular, the ones that matter most for a winger, as well as for the role Diaz will have to fulfil.

Goals

Diaz - 14

Mane - 8

Diaz is in the middle of his true breakout season this year. Having never scored 10 plus goals in a season before, in 18 league games with Porto he managed 14 goals, which was the second most in the league.

Mane, on the other hand, hasn’t quite hit the same level as he has been at over the years. That’s not to say his eight goals isn’t great, but Liverpool’s main source of goals has come from the other wing in the form of Mo Salah.

Assists

Diaz - 4

Mane - 1

Diaz has also contributed well to his Porto team with four assists. That gives him 18 goals and assists in his 18 games played before his move to the Premier League. 

Comparably, Mane has only managed one assist all season. His total of nine goals and assists, being exactly half that of Diaz’s, doesn’t look too great on paper.

Goals & Assists per 90 mins

Diaz - 1.09

Mane - 0.47

This statistic showcases what each player can bring to their team in a full game. And as we can see, Diaz has a lot more to show than Mane does, albeit the quality of opposition cannot be discounted.

Contributing 1.09 goals and assists per 90 mins means he is at least contributing one goal every match, be it a goal or an assist. Mane doesn’t come anywhere near that.

Dribbles completed

Diaz - 2.91

Mane - 2.05

Taking a look at who is more capable on the ball, Diaz once again has the upper hand with this one.

He averages almost one dribble more than Mane, which is very impressive and has him in the 93rd percentile for attacking midfielders/wingers over the last 365 days.

For even more comparison, his other new team-mate, Mo Salah, considered one of the trickiest on-ball players in football right now, sits in the 56th percentile with 1.75. At least Mane’s got him beat, too.

Pass completion

Diaz - 77.7%

Mane - 74.7%

The closest of all the stats - at least in a number sense.

That three percent difference is crucial, as it sees Diaz in the 59th percentile for attacking midfielders/wingers, while Mane is stuck down in the 38th percentile.

While Diaz will be taking the win here, neither he nor Mane look too good in this category. 

Progressive passes

Diaz - 1.90

Mane - 3.23

Finally Mane starts to gain some ground, and these next three stats are arguably just as important as the goals and assists they can produce.

When you look at progressive stats, you start seeing how competent the player is going forward and how he contributes to the attack as a whole.

Mane is part of a very strong and capable attacking unit at Liverpool, and with the chemistry he shares with the likes of Salah, Diogo Jota and Firmino, he is able to create more chances going forward with good passes.

Progressive carries

Diaz - 4.81

Mane - 6.80

Just like with progressive passes, progressive carries shows how capable a player is at running with the ball and taking it further up the field and into an attacking position.

And once again, Mane will be taking the win here. Liverpool’s strong defence provides the opportunity for their attackers to be more aggressive and creative with progressing the ball further up the pitch.

This is something Mane is very capable of doing, evident by his high number. That being said, Diaz’s isn’t much worse, so should be more than capable of doing a good job progressing the ball, too.

Touches in attacking penalty area

Diaz - 5.44

Mane - 8.40

A good attacker must be comfortable in front of goal, receiving the ball and keeping composed to know what to do with it. Thankfully for Liverpool, Diaz seems up for the task.

While he’s not near to Mane’s level, he does show that he is strong in the box. And coupled with his impressive goal and assist rate, it seems likely that Liverpool will benefit from his attacking play.

However, Mane is still stronger in this stat. He has become known for being dangerous to defenders when cutting inside. At one point he was rated higher than Salah for his ability.

Plus/Minus net per 90 mins

Diaz - +1.33

Mane - -1.82

This stat is calculated by taking the net goals scored per 90 minutes by the players' team while he is on the pitch minus the net goals conceded per 90 minutes by the players' team while he is on the pitch. 

A positive number means the team benefits from more goals than conceding while he is on the pitch, while a negative number means the reverse.

And quite obviously from the stats, it is clear to see Diaz is a big positive to have on the field while Mane isn’t quite as helpful. 

Diaz’s 18 goals he contributed to Porto was vital to them sitting at the top of Primeira Liga, while Mane not contributing as much to Liverpool might act as part of the reason for Liverpool dropping off from league leaders Manchester City.