Jurgen Klopp made it clear to Luis Diaz that specific tactical details would have to be put on the backburner after his move to Liverpool.
The German urged the Colombian to instead focus on his natural game – a piece of advice that appears to have paid dividends for the title-chasing Reds.
“At the start, I think it was more about him telling me what I’ve been doing up to now. He was trying to put across to me that all it was about was for me to keep doing what I’ve been used to,” the former FC Porto attacker told liverpoolfc.com.
“He wanted me to know that I’d been performing very well up to now and that I should just try to keep on doing more of the same.
“To play my football with joy and happiness, while obviously incorporating the preferred tactical plans and instructions into my game.”
The addition of the 25-year-old has been inspiring, to say the least, with strong performances encouraging the coaching staff to shift Sadio Mane central in the frontline.
Diaz’s arrival has had some clear, beneficial consequences for the squad, with our No.11 looking revitalised leading the line.
More to the point, the winger has been in such remarkably good form that we can’t seem to find a way to regularly play our 21-goal striker in Diogo Jota.
With so much quality up top (and that’s not forgetting about useful backup options in Taki Minamino and Divock Origi), its hard not to get excited about what the club could achieve this season and going forward.