Klopp said he had never seen a footballer smile so happily, and it was no wonder. Because Louis Diaz couldn't have had a better start at Liverpool. Although it is too early to draw conclusions on this transfer, it looks like the Reds' recruitment team has once again succeeded. After winning the trophy with Mane and Salah and betting on Diogo Jota, they didn't seem to be satisfied with that and found another gem in the transfer market that could be used to improve the team's offensive end. The deal to bring the Colombian to Anfield could end up costing the Reds £50m, but if Diaz continues to be as good as he started, it's likely to be a good deal.
"We knew he would adapt very quickly," Klopp said, but even he was surprised by the 25-year-old's performance at Merseyside. "You don't expect a miracle to happen," the Reds boss added, "but he's not far from doing it." Diaz has already won his first medal at Liverpool, an honour he received for helping the team with his star performance in the Caraburg Cup final against Chelsea in February. He will return to Wembley this Saturday and Liverpool will face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals. In the second leg of the Champions League knockout round in the early hours of this morning, Liverpool played 3-3 with Benfica in a gut-wrenching goalscoring battle, and as a former Porto player, Luis Diaz's extra motivation allowed him to do his best in this game.
He returned to Portugal last week and scored a pass in the game to establish a 3-1 lead for Liverpool. "Outstanding", that's Klopp's assessment, which Diaz jean kept booing his fans for 90 minutes. He grabbed Nabi Keita's cross, bypassed the goalkeeper and scored with his left foot, a way of scoring that shows that he has confidence in himself and the team he joins. Former Liverpool winger Stuart Downing said in a recent interview: "He looks like he's been here for many years. He compared Diaz to Suarez because of his acceptance of the competitiveness and physical fitness of English football. This is indeed highly commendable, of course, if Diaz can be as influential as Suarez was at Anfield, then Liverpool will wake up laughing in his dreams.
The Uruguayan may not have won many trophies, and he's certainly always surrounded by some negative news, but he's one of the best players in the world in three and a half years at Merseyside. Since then, the likes of Mane and Salah have been compared to the legendary striker. Can Diaz reach the same height? He is considered Mane's future successor on the left, a player with excellent speed and skill, and under Klopp's guidance, he has the talent, work ethic and attitude to thrive. He was like a man determined to make the most of such a rare opportunity.
"I've never seen a player who loves training so much!" Klopp said tuesday at a press conference ahead of the Benfica match. He said the enthusiasm had a positive impact on the players who were already on the field. It used to be said in the past that entering Liverpool's strike trio was an impossible task, but both Diaz and Jota proved it could be done. Jota started ahead of Firmino in last Sunday's game against Manchester City, and it wouldn't be surprising if Diaz could perform at Wembley this weekend. Downing said: "They support each other and this kind of competition is fair to them. In the past, we'd look at Mane, Salah and Firmino and think: 'They haven't changed.' But now three people are chosen from five or six equally good players, isn't it? ”
Whichever combination Klopp chooses, he doesn't have to worry. It was the first time he had five top strikers, and he had the option of resting and rotating without affecting the team's chances. This is crucial as Liverpool's season enters a pivotal moment. Incredibly, in the second week of April, the Reds have as many as 13 games to play in all three events. Clever use of resources, successful maintenance of status and vitality, can prove the difference between success and failure. Then Diaz will have plenty of opportunities to prove his worth in the coming weeks. He's certainly a future star, but it's also very exciting here and now. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last. Klopp is very grateful to his scouting and recruiting team.