Luis Diaz is playing with anxiety at Liverpool and needs to improve his decision-making in front of goal, according to an avid follower of the winger.
The Reds turned heads when signing the 25-year-old from Porto in the January transfer window. While he was a firm summer target for manager Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool swooped in fast to snap him up.
Indeed, Tottenham were close to a deal of their own for Diaz. Meanwhile, West Ham boss David Moyes recently revealed he spoke to the Colombia international on the phone.
However, Liverpool signed the winger and he has made an instant impact. Diaz has only scored one goal in his nine appearances so far, but he has impressed overall.
While he has had multiple chances to add to his goal tally, his work off the ball – a fundamental part of working under Klopp – has been impressive.
According to former Newcastle and Colombia star Faustino Asprilla, though, Diaz needs to work on his goalscoring. In fact, the 52-year-old pointed to the “impossible” goal the player scored last summer as a sign of his true ability.
“I think ‘Lucho’ is being eaten up by anxiety,” Asprilla told Marca Colombia.
“He’s playing very well. But, when it comes to scoring, he’s making the wrong decision, in that play, we saw he had to score first.
“In the Copa America, he scored an almost impossible goal [against Brazil in the group stage], and now he has a chance to score first time, and he couldn’t. Anxiety is killing him.”
Diaz scored four goals for Colombia at the Copa America as his country finished third after losing in the semi-finals.
Earlier this season, meanwhile, he scored 14 goals in 18 Portuguese top flight games.
In any case, Klopp has praised Diaz’s impact at Liverpool. The manager insisted last month that he has “never had a player” like the winger.
Luis Diaz starring for Liverpool
As new signings under Klopp go, Diaz is instantly making his mark.
Alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, he has come straight into the team. Indeed, Mane and Salah both starred on their Liverpool Premier League debuts with goals against Arsenal and Watford, respectively.
And Diaz earned an immediate appearance in in the FA Cup win over Cardiff and impressed, helping to set up a Takumi Minamino goal.
However, Diaz is progressing faster at Liverpool than Andy Robertson and Fabinho did.
The left-back and midfielder have become staples in Klopp’s team. Nevertheless, Robertson took his time to adjust and had to initially compete with Alberto Moreno for game time.
Fabinho, meanwhile, took time to settle into his defensive midfield role but is now a regular starter.
As a result, Diaz should have no concerns about his instant impact at Anfield.
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