 Following the title obtained in the Apertura Tournament and the departure of Felipe Seymour to Italian Serie A side Genoa, Díaz started to play in Seymour's former position in the starting lineup as a central midfielder, with a more defensive role.When the Clausura Tournament began, former Universidad de Chile midfielder Manuel Iturra was heavy linked with the club, to replace to Seymour, but Sampaoli decided finally against Iturra and for Díaz, who with the given confidence stepped up his game and became one of the key players of the team.His great performances in the local tournament and in the 2011 Copa Sudamericana caught the eye of national team's coach Claudio Borghi to play in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.