"I love him" - David James likens Liverpool superstar to Arsenal legend Paul Merson
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has compared Luis Diaz to legendary former Arsenal playmaker Paul Merson.
Diaz has had an incredible impact at Anfield since his arrival from Porto in January, having scored six goals and provided three assists in his 25 appearances so far.
Tom Werner on Luis Diaz:
“He smiles in a way that’s very infectious. I know he loves playing at Liverpool. Winning these cups means a lot to him personally. It was a dream of his to play for a club like Liverpool. I’m just thrilled to watch him, because he’s so special.” https://t.co/yrrS4n205U
The 25-year-old winger looks set to start the Reds' Champions League final on Saturday, 28 May, after forcing his way into Jurgen Klopp's first-choice front three alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
James has been incredibly impressed by the Colombian since his move to Merseyside, with the former England shot-stopper telling talkSPORT:
"He reminds me of Paul Merson. Paul Merson has won league titles, this isn't an average player we're talking about, but he was so heavily right-footed and I see the same when I watch Diaz.
"I love him and what I love about him is there's an area that can be improved and he’s that good already that he can become even better.
"He's so reliant on his right foot, I think someone needs to take him to one side and do a little bit of work with his left foot because he doesn’t like crossing the ball with his left foot. If you work on it then all of a sudden he's going to approach defenders and they're not going to know which way he's going to go."
Allow me to brighten your sad timeline with Luis Díaz's daughter watching her dad at Anfield today ❤️ https://t.co/Td8hnP7Y0f
Jurgen Klopp hoping Liverpool can learn from past European finals
The Reds are set to take on Real Madrid in a repeat of the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv, which Los Blancos won 3-1 thanks largely to individual errors from then-goalkeeper Loris Karius.
Liverpool also lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in 2016, but Klopp claims his players are stronger for those experiences.
The German boss told UEFA, via Liverpool official's website:
"Oh, we did it the Liverpool way, which is the hard way. So, we lost [some] big finals, obviously. In the first year [of his time in charge], Europa League final and the Carabao Cup final. All of these experiences are important in life. They are. But they are not nice [in] any way.
"So then, we came back and we had to learn [how to win]. We had to learn [how to] be at our top level of focus and concentration in a game like this.
"To do all the things you do over the years, to use it in such a high, prolific game – and that's the plan. So yeah, I think if we are not entering a world-class team already but you want to get there then you're going to have to learn [how]."
Jurgen Klopp Your @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Season...
🔴👏 Jurgen Klopp 👏🔴
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