Robbie Fowler believes January signing Luis Diaz is the man of the moment and must start the Champions League final for Liverpool against Real Madrid in Paris.
The Colombian was on the scoresheet against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, with a slice of luck via a deflection, helping the Reds to rescue a point against Antonio Conte's side. He now has six goals in 22 appearances since moving to Anfield in January and former Kop goal machine Fowler is backing the 24-year-old to help bring European club football's top prize back to Merseyside this month.
Speaking after the Spurs match, about whether Diaz would start the Champions League final if it was tomorrow, Fowler said: " All day long. I think he’s a wonderful player. We said before the game, one of Liverpool’s strengths is certainly him. I know there are other players who are dangerous. But he’s one of those players who gets the ball and he attacks the defender. I probably would have wanted to see a little bit more - certainly in the first half - get at ( Cristian) Romero a little more.
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"He is Liverpool’s top player at the moment, there’s no doubt about that. You give him the ball and something will happen. When you’re playing against teams who are rock solid and difficult, Liverpool were probably trying to be too precise going through the mid-block all the time. Get it out wide sometimes, get your Mo Salah running at your full-back or get your Diaz running at the full-back and create chances that way. I think that opens the pitch up a little more."
Since arriving on Merseyside, Diaz has made a huge impression with both teammates and supporters, slotting straight into Jurgen Klopp's side and hitting the ground running. His impact has bucked the trend seen with previous signings under Klopp, whereby players have had to bide their time before being included in the starting XI. Now Fowler, a Kop favourite himself during his two spells at the club, believes Liverpool need to utilise their latest weapon as often as possible, in order to bring more silverware to Anfield this season.
He added: "H e brings a bit of panic for defenders because he’s the one that wants to drive at you and cause that panic. Doing that, drags other players over. One-v-one, I don’t think there’s anyone at the minute that’s shown the way that they can deal with him, so that means people are asking for help. Once you do that, then someone on the edge of the box - Thiago or Mane or Salah - becomes free. The more often they can get him causing that havoc, they’re going to get more rewards."
