Bayern happy as Luis Diaz shows his potential in debut
"Luis Díaz is someone who loves football and always has a smile on his face. That's what we need," midfielder Joshua Kimmich said Diaz' debut in Saturday's 2-1 win over Olympique Lyon.
Diaz arrived on Wednesday from Liverpool for a reported €75 million from Liverpool ($87 million).
It was the only good summer news so far for Bayern after Florian Wirtz snubbed then and went to Anfield instead, and VfB Stuttgart are so far unwilling to let Nick Woltemade join Bayern. In addition, Jamal Musiala is out injured for many months.
Immediate impact
The 28-year-old Colombian Diaz came on for the second half, set up the penalty which Michael Olise converted for the opening goal, and also had three chances to score himself.
"I had some good chances. Unfortunately I couldn't score, but I hope I can score in the next game. My goal is to help the team and win titles," Diaz said.
'I feel very comfortable, I'm happy to be here and to have played my first game. We put in a good performance and were in control of the game."
Robbery comparison
Diaz had a lot of pace on the left and together with the as lively Olise on the right brought back some momories of Bayern's famous winger duo of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Sporting director Christoph Freund didn't want to get carried away, warning: "Don't believe the hype, don't believe the drama." But he added that "we can expect many scorer points" from Diaz and Olise, who also netted Bayern's second against Lyon.
Kane and Kompany impressed
Striker Harry Kane was also duly impressed by Diaz, saying: "Luis Díaz did a great job today. We've only had a few training sessions together so far, but he looks hungry and eager.
"You can tell he's happy to be here. He plays with a smile on his face. Today you could see how effective he is in the final third and we're going to need him this season, so I'm delighted he's here."
Coach Vincent Kompany, who only started pre-season training with the team earlier in the week after a post-Club World Cup holiday, was also satisfied.
"Luis Díaz is full of positive energy. We've already seen his qualities and abilities in training. He will help us," Kompany said.
Pre-season countdown
Bayern kick off the season in a fortnight with the German Super Cup match against domestic cup winners VfB Stuttgart before starting their Bundesliga title defence on August 22 against RB Leipzig.
"It's an atypical preseason period – a short holiday, short preparation and then we're right back to it. But we're up for it. We don't have much time. We want to be physically ready for the first games," Kompany said.
Freund said that midfielder Joao Palhinha is set to leave Bayern after one year with little playing time, with Tottenham Hotspur the reported destination. He also said that midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic could be back in training in 3-4 weeks from an eye socket fracture.
Bayern face Spurs on Thursday and Swiss club Grasshoppers on August 12 in their other pre-season games, and Freund was upbeat overall.
"The atmosphere's been good in the first few days. From a mental point of view, the short preparation can also be an advantage and physically it shouldn't be a problem either,' he said.
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