(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for Paulaner) Getty Images for Paulaner
CSmith1919 Chuck Smith is the site manager for Bavarian Football Works, where he began writing in 2017. He is the author of The Daily Schmankerl, the longest-running daily Bayern Munich column in English, and also writes The Weekend Warm-Up. In addition to covering Bayern Munich news and providing commentary on Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga, and the German national team. He brings more than 30 years of sports-writing experience to the site. Over the course of his career, he has written for numerous newspapers and websites.
Emile Heskey believes Liverpool may have made one of their biggest recent mistakes by allowing Luis Díaz to leave the club for Bayern Munich, arguing that the Colombian winger provided qualities that have been difficult to replace.
Heskey, a former England international and Liverpool striker, spent four seasons at Anfield from 2000 to 2004. He made 223 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 60 goals, and won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his time with the club. His experience playing alongside elite attackers gives some added weight to his assessment of what Díaz brought to Liverpool.
“Selling Luis Díaz was a huge mistake. When you look at their recruitment area, they have people who look at ages and everything, assessing how people will progress. Obviously, when you get to a certain age, there will generally be a slow decline. But then you get anomalies like Mo Salah who continue well into their thirties. Kane is in his 30s and still doing really well. We’ve missed Díaz because of the tenacity he had. You’ve got to remember we had Mo and we had (Sadio) Mané on the wing,” Heskey told Casinolyze. “Mané was outstanding. When he left, everyone was worried because they realized what he gave, not only going forward, but coming back. Díaz had that same tenacity to win the ball and chase everything. He would chase lost causes. Díaz could play centrally as well, there were times when Jürgen Klopp played Díaz centrally and he was such a threat because he gave you something different.
“Now we’ve been so blessed with that, but then you take that out, and you’re really trying to plug a gap with something that isn’t what we’re used to. We definitely have missed that. It just looks a little bit different, and we’re not used to how it looks without that.”
For Bayern Munich, the other side of the equation is obvious. Díaz is now in his second season at the club, and Liverpool’s former striker believes his old team is still feeling the consequences of losing a player capable of combining attacking production with relentless defensive work.
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