Former Liverpool players Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp praise Luis Diaz's impact since joining from Porto; Carragher believes Diaz was Liverpool's "best player" in Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea; Carra: "I think this is one of the best Liverpool teams we've ever seen"
Monday 28 February 2022 13:46, UK
Jamie Carragher believes Luis Diaz is the "real deal" and could make a "huge difference" to Liverpool’s season, but has questioned whether the club would have signed him in January had Tottenham not been in talks for the winger.
Diaz starred for Liverpool in their Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea, continuing his impressive form since joining the Reds from Porto on Deadline Day last month.
The 25-year-old had been a top target for manager Jurgen Klopp this summer, but interest from Tottenham accelerated their plans in January as they signed the Colombian in a deal worth up to £49m.
Carragher told Sky Sports: "The interesting thing about the Diaz signing is Liverpool only signed him because Tottenham went for him.
"I think he could make a massive difference to Liverpool at this stage of the season. Not just because of his performances, but if you think about what Liverpool's team would've been like if he hadn't have been signed.
"(Diogo) Jota wasn't a 100 per cent [for the Carabao Cup final] and (Roberto) Firmino's missed out, so you'd have gone into the game with (Mohamed) Salah and (Sadio) Mane, and maybe (Takumi) Minamino or (Divock) Origi, who we know are not quite at their level, whereas Diaz is at their level.
"This fella could make a huge difference for Liverpool this season in terms of winning big trophies.
"If Tottenham hadn't have gone for him then Liverpool wouldn't have got him. If you think there's a player there that you want and you think you can go and get, then go and get him."
Asked about Diaz's performance in the final, Carragher said: "He was fantastic. I think Virgil van Dijk got the man-of-the-match award but I think he was Liverpool's best player. He was outstanding.
"I felt Liverpool dropped off when he went off - it didn't feel like they were going to score towards the end of the game.
"He was absolutely brilliant and what told you how well he played was that Sadio Mane got brought off. Mane didn't have a poor game but he [Klopp] could've easily put Mane to the left and brought Jota on, but Diaz stayed on.
"He looks the real deal. He's only played six games, and possibly in that period he's been Liverpool's best player.
"One of the big things why Liverpool have had so much success under Jurgen Klopp is because they get their recruitment right. They very rarely fail and this guy looks like it's another [success]."
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was also impressed by Diaz's display at Wembley and believes he will thrive at Anfield.
Redknapp told Sky Sports: "You see his skill and his touches, but the bit that goes unnoticed is what I like when he goes and chases and harries people when he hasn't got the ball.
"He chased back 50 yards at one stage and that's what you want. It's what you want as a manager to have somebody that has that work ethic.
"I think he's going to be a diamond for this football club and loads of goals to come as well.
"He's a very special player and fits the mould and the profile of what Liverpool want. He looks like he's going to be a sensational player."
Following the Wembley win, Carragher also instructed his former side to win more trophies like the Carabao Cup over the next few years - in order to become the best Liverpool team of all-time.
Klopp's side are aiming for a historic quadruple after ending a decade-long wait for the League Cup on Sunday. The Premier League and Champions League have returned to Anfield over the past three years, but the FA Cup has evaded the red half of Merseyside since 2006.
Carragher highlighted Kenny Dalglish's iconic Liverpool side - who lifted the League Cup in four consecutive seasons at the start of the 1980s - as an example for Klopp's side to strive towards.
"I think this is one of the best Liverpool teams we've ever seen," Carragher said.
"The teams that Kenny Dalglish played in won an awful lot more than them, including this competition four times in a row.
"I do think it's important over the next couple of years that Liverpool start winning a few more domestic cup competitions, alongside the other big trophies.
"It is what they deserve because the football they've played and the results they've had in the last three or four years, they have been some team, and not just a Liverpool team, a top Premier League team over the years."
Liverpool's next challenge is a FA Cup fifth-round clash with Norwich on Wednesday night, before taking on high-flying West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Arguably their biggest challenge left this season is to topple Manchester City at the Premier League summit between now and the end of May, but Gary Neville believes Klopp's Liverpool have "better attacking players" than Pep Guardiola's reigning champions.
Before Liverpool's Wembley win over Chelsea on Sunday, Neville told Sky Sports News: "They are a great team. I think we've got a title race.
"I think Liverpool have got a really strong squad. They've got brilliant attacking players and have got better attacking players than Manchester City."
"Liverpool are getting back to a real high level, where they were a few years ago. They've just dipped a little bit in the last year or so, but they're coming back again."
