Luis Díaz, may his great moment in the Copa América be against Panama… (Opinion)

Having a player like Luis Diaz It’s like having a numerical advantage. He does more than he is. If Díaz is there, in his habitat on the left, the opponent suffers just by his presence, they have to have two or three players to watch him, and that’s already a problem. The defenders can’t even breathe, they know that as soon as the ball comes to him, he will change pace in thousandths of a second, make a feint, two, three, go to the center, look for his profile, try to kick or make a great pass. Everyone already knows what’s going to happen, it’s like a recital seen a thousand times at Liverpool and, nevertheless, he almost always does it.

That’s the usual Diaz. But in this Copa America, although his mere presence, as we said, causes havoc, and he has tried to do everything in the best way, he is still missing something. What? It is something that is not very noticeable because the Colombia selection He is winning and playing well and is already in the quarter-finals.

It is something that is not obvious, because you see him run tirelessly – in fact, run too much –, you see him dribble, as he did in the first match against Paraguay when he left three rivals bewildered, you see him do his thing, even a very well-executed penalty goal and a great pass to Rafael Santos Borré, who did not know what to do when he saw the goal so wide, and yet, Díaz lacks that something, or that little something, to not seem too demanding. A little bit more, so that we all feel that we are really before the best Colombian player of today.

That something – that little something – is that Díaz can finally have his big game – although he was chosen as the best against Costa Rica for the organization of the Copa América. But Díaz looks a bit tired, as if the wear and tear of the season had evidently weakened him.

Sometimes he seems confused, as if he were trying to do something extra, dribble past not two or three but four, and that’s not it; it’s as if he feels, it seems from a distance, that pressure of having to be the best in the middle of a team where everyone is doing well. Lucho needs to pace himself, to lean on himself more, to back himself up more, that’s the little bit he needs to, perhaps, be able to show his greatest dimension. It’s not too much to ask, he has all the capacity to excel, and, certainly, the desire.

The time o
f Lucho Diaz

Now is his time, when Panama comes, who will surely design a strict defensive plan to nullify him. It is time to have a dose of the best Luis Díaz. Let everything that is crack in him manifest itself.

How good it has been for the National Team that James Rodríguez is in that state of grace that monopolizes everything and eclipses everything, how good for the National Team that there are players at such a good level like Ríos, Arias or Muñoz, how good for the team to always have support, dedicated players, with that contagious character like the one they showed against Brazil, how good for Lorenzo to find in Córdoba his ideal striker.

Everything the team has done is very good. All that’s left is for Lucho to get going and have his big game in the Copa America. If that happens, this team will remain unstoppable.

PAUL ROMERO

Editor of EL TIEMPO

@PabloRomeroET

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