Luis Diaz: Ex-Liverpool Coach Peeters Calls Him ‘Incredible’
Former Liverpool lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters has praised Luis Diaz's mood and humor behind the scenes during Arne Slot's title-winning season. Peeters also named Konate, Robertson, Van Dijk, Salah and Mac Allister as key dressing-room voices.
Former Liverpool lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters has called winger Luis Diaz "incredible" for his behavior behind the scenes during Arne Slot's Premier League title-winning season. The ex-Liverpool employee opens up on Diaz in a new interview about life inside the squad.
Peeters spent two seasons in the club's backroom team before leaving this summer. He had previously worked with Slot at Genk and Feyenoord.
Recovery sessions and a 'great' mood
Diaz worked under Peeters for barely 12 months. The Colombian played in all but two Premier League fixtures that season, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists.
Peeters said his influence went beyond match days. He described how he built games and competitive elements into recovery sessions held the day after fixtures.
"Ibou Konate, Robbo (Andy Robertson) and Luis Diaz were great at relieving stress and bringing fun and enthusiasm," Peeters said.
He singled out Diaz. "Diaz was incredible. His South American dancing! Although his English was not great, he was always in a good mood and eager to win games or the competitions we ran in training, so it was great to have him in the group."
Leaders who helped the coach
Peeters also named the players who set the standard. "Virgil (Van Dijk), Mo (Salah), and Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) were already at a very good level of professionalism, so they helped me with requests to the other guys," he said.
Klopp on Diaz's early days
Diaz arrived with no command of English. Jurgen Klopp, then Liverpool's manager, spoke about how quickly the winger settled in during his first week at the club.
"Thiago, Bobby (Firmino), Ali(sson), Adrian have all helped him," Klopp said. He added that Diaz was "really close to Curtis Jones and Harvey (Elliott); I have no idea how they talk."
Klopp said the bond formed within a week and called it "really strange" on an emotional level.
Diaz's farewell message
Diaz returned the praise when he left. A message on his Instagram account spoke of "three-years-and-a-half that I'll treasure forever."
He wrote that he arrived "with all the dreams in the world" and was leaving proud of what the group achieved together. He thanked "incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot and extraordinary fans."
"There were ups and downs, as there always are, but there was always truth. As it should be in a family," Diaz wrote. He said he was leaving "a champion."
