Coach Arne Slot was questioned upon his arrival for the little participation he was giving to Díaz, but thanks to the Colombian’s performance he has earned a starting place in the Dutchman’s Liverpool – credit Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters
Luis Díaz is going through an excellent moment at Liverpool. ‘Guajiro’ not only stood out in former coach Jürgen Klopp’s scheme, but now, under the direction of new coach Arne Slot, the Colombian has established himself as a key piece in the attack.
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His ability to play both on the wings and forward has been fundamental for the team, showing great offensive performance. In his most recent performance in the Champions League, Fought He was named man of the match after scoring a hat trick against Bayer Leverkusenonce again highlighting his scoring ability.
The Colombian is a player loved by the fans, they even have an exclusive song for Díaz – credit Molly Darlington/REUTERS
Renowned sports journalist Carlos Antonio Vélez praised the work of Dutch coach Arne Slot with Luis Díaz, after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa. Through his social networks, Vélez highlighted how the coach has enhanced the Colombian’s physical and tactical capabilities, making him a more versatile and complete player in the ‘Reds’ scheme.
“Slot’s great achievement with Lucho Díaz is that it is decisively turning him into an integral, modern and all-court player. With the ball in all lanes of the attacking front, goals, crosses, passes and assists… without the ball, withdrawal, marking, sacrifice and recoveries… today he achieved 5. Remarkable… the heat map shows it in the round trip to along the band. This is how the TOP teams (SIC) play,” Vélez expressed through his X account, previously known as Twitter.
The football commentator highlighted the work of the Dutch coach in the growth of Luis Díaz – credit @velezfutbol / Instagram
According to Vélez’s analysis, Díaz showed a notable display during the 90 minutes, reflected in the match statistics. The Colombian made five recoveries of possession, maintaining an outstanding defensive work with 100% effectiveness in sweeps. His heat map revealed constant mobility across the left wing, where he alternated between offensive and defensive roles, a sign of his evolution under Slot’s direction..
Vélez also highlighted how the Dutch coach has managed to make Díaz an integral player, who contributes both in the offensive phase and in the defensive sacrifice, adapting to the high level of demand of an elite team like Liverpool.
Arne Slot has had a positive performance with the team as he enters the 2024/2025 season – credit Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
Not everything has been easy between Arne Slot and Luis Díaz. With the arrival of the Dutch coach, ‘Guajiro’ lost prominence in the first games, and Slot even stated that the starter in his position was the also Dutch Cody Gakpo. However, Díaz maintained his intensity at every opportunity, managing to regain his place in the starting eleven. Now, his role in the team is not limited to the left wing, but he also plays as a center forward thanks to his scoring ability. Proof of his versatility was the most recent Champions League match, in which he started as a centre-forward and scored a goal, before being moved to the wing, where he completed his first hat-trick in this competition.
“To be honest, I especially liked the last idea, I think all the Liverpool fans liked it with Lucho (Díaz) scoring three goals, two as a number 9 and one as a winger, so it’s always interesting to see that (.. .) Lucho did very well and it was, even for me, perhaps a little surprising to see how well he did. “I put him there for a reason, I expected him to do well but for him to play so well was a surprise even for me,” he said at a press conference with the Liverpool coach.
The Tricolor team will face Uruguay on November 15 and on the 19th they will face Ecuador – credit Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
Now, Luis Díaz is getting ready for his next challenge, the double day of the South American Qualifiers heading to the 2026 World Cup. If the Colombian team achieves a victory and a draw, it would practically ensure its classification more than a year in advance for the tournament. which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Díaz is expected to be at his best level to contribute to the team’s success in this crucial stage of the road to the World Cup..
