Luis Díaz is still waiting to score for FC Bayern. However, new performance data shows that, aside from his poor finishing, many aspects of his game are improving compared to before.
One goal in seven competitive matches, no assists, and numerous missed golden opportunities: Luis Díaz’s bare statistics at the start of the season are anything but convincing. As a result, there has been increasing discussion at FC Bayern about the Colombian’s slump in form.
A closer look at his performance metrics, however, paints a different picture. As the tz reports, citing figures from the statistics provider Opta, Díaz is currently getting into dangerous situations more frequently and more effectively than he did during his strong previous season.
This is particularly evident in the quality of his scoring chances. According to the data, his expected goals per game have risen from 0.51 to 0.64. When it comes to creating scoring chances and ball actions in the opponent’s penalty area, the 29-year-old actually ranks among the very best when compared to 1,128 wingers from Europe’s top five leagues.
Díaz is also seeking out one-on-one duels more frequently. At the same time, he has improved in his aerial duels. Much of this suggests that the problem right now is less his overall play and more his finishing.
Díaz squanders more clear-cut chances than anyone else
However, the numbers in this area are particularly stark. Díaz has already had nine clear-cut chances this season—a Bundesliga high. He has squandered eight of them. His conversion rate has plummeted from 43 percent last season to just 11 percent currently.
Particularly striking is the difference between his actual goals scored and his expected goals (xG) value. At minus 3.48, no other Bundesliga player is currently so significantly below his statistically expected value.
Another statistic shows that Díaz continues to finish with precision: 67 percent of his shots are on target. Last season, that figure was 64 percent. So the Colombian is still finding the right spaces and getting his shots on target—it’s just that the ball isn’t finding the back of the net often enough right now.
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Bayern remains calm about the situation, however. Sporting Director Max Eberl recently put the discussions surrounding the star forward into perspective: “Some would be happy to have a slump like his.”
Díaz himself also sees finishing as the main problem. “I know it’s just a matter of finishing. All that’s missing is the final touch—and then it’ll be fine,” he recently explained on Sky.
Currently, the 29-year-old is getting an extra breather. Colombia’s national team coach Néstor Lorenzo, after consulting with Díaz, decided not to call him up for the upcoming international break. A short break last winter had a similar effect: Díaz went on to play a strong second half of the season and finished his first season with Bayern with 26 goals and 23 assists in 51 competitive matches.
The current statistics therefore suggest not so much a fundamental slump in form as an unusual lack of finishing ability. After the international break, Díaz will have his next opportunity against FC Augsburg to bring his goal-scoring rate back in line with his other performance metrics.