Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Jurgen Klopp: 'Liverpool were fighting for Luis Diaz'

sportsmole.co.uk, 29 October 2023, 19:31
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed his team for 'fighting' for Luis Diaz during their 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

This morning, Reds fans awoke to the worrying news that the attacker's parents had been kidnapped in Colombia, and he was understandably left out of the squad to face the Tricky Trees.

Colombian president Gustavo Petro said on social media that Diaz's mother had been rescued, but his father remains unaccounted for, and authorities are offering a reward of £40,000 for information.

In Diaz's absence, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah were on target in a routine win over Steve Cooper's side, and the former held up his teammate's jersey after breaking the deadlock in the first half.

Klopp was unsurprisingly asked about the ongoing situation in his post-game press conference, and the German confirmed that Diaz's mother had been found safe, but he found it "absolutely impossible" to focus on the on-field action.

"We heard last night late about it. Then we spoke to Lucho; [he] wanted to go home, [we] sent people with him, have people there who take care, there's part of families there as well so that's why they want to be together. Absolutely understandable," Klopp said.

"Then we got the news with [his] mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really. They work on it, clearly. By some distance we are obviously not the first people who get informed but we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don't want to disturb in any way. [We're] not the important people there. We just want to support. That's it.

"So, yeah, good, absolutely good game and the question will come anyway, so I can give the answer immediately, the preparation was the most difficult I ever had in my life. Didn't expect that, was not prepared for it, I don't want to make the game bigger than it was, but it was definitely. We tried to help Lucho with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help, we cannot really help, so the only thing we can do is fight for him and that's what the boys did.

"Yeah, so how can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It's really difficult. I never struggled with that in my life. It was always my safe place, sometimes my hiding, as a player or as a coach, you are allowed during these 90 minutes just to focus on that and it was impossible. Absolutely impossible to do that.

"It was clear we have to give the game an extra sense and it was fighting for Lucho, then the boys put out the shirt and I was not 100 per cent prepared for that, to be honest. It was really touching but wonderful as well. So, yeah, that's it."

At first, Liverpool struggled to break down a resolute five-man Forest rearguard, but Jota tapped home into an open goal after Nunez was thwarted, and the Reds proceeded to squander several chances to add to their advantage.

However, slick play down the right from Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai ended with the latter cutting back for Nunez to rifle home into the roof of the net, before Matt Turner came out to meet a long Szoboszlai pass high up the field and horribly misjudged it, allowing Salah to round off the scoring.

Cody Gakpo also had an effort disallowed in the dying embers as Liverpool recorded a third win on the bounce, but Klopp still believes that there is "so much" room for improvement in future games.

"Yeah, I told the boys after the game the best thing you can say after a game like this [is] that we played really good and there's so much space for improvement," Klopp added.

"Still, that's obvious as well, the goals were fantastic, the patience we showed, the fluidity in a lot of moments on the ball, a lot of moments, the creative, the togetherness in how we connected with each other was really good."

Liverpool now return to EFL Cup action away to Bournemouth in Wednesday's fourth-round tie before tackling Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League on November 5.

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly been dealt a blow in their quest to sign AC Milan attacker Christian Pulisic. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly identified Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio as a potential replacement for their current number one Ederson. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has questioned Marcus Rashford's team after the forward recently admitted he could leave the club in the near future. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has revealed that Kristoffer Ajer suffered an ankle injury at the weekend. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Ruben Amorim says Marcus Rashford has created a 'hard situation' after declaring he is seeking a Manchester United exit. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk There is a legitimate case that Mohamed Salah is the Premier League's best ever player, and he could surpass Thierry Henry sooner rather than later, according to Liverpool expert David Lynch. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's 6-3 victory against Tottenham Hotspur proves that the club are the most complete side in the Premier League, and their title rivals should fear them, according to Reds expert David Lynch. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Three years have passed since Zinedine Zidane last took to the dugout - but he is in no rush to return. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United are in desperate need of a response when they travel to struggling Wolves on Boxing Day, live on talkSPORT. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are readying an offer of €60m (£49.8m) for the signature of AC Milan midfielder Youssouf Fofana, according to a report. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Ruben Amorim has refused to rule out a return for Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford against Wolves on Boxing Day. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal will not be playing on Boxing Day this year as they welcome Ipswich to the Emirates on Friday night instead. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe has affirmed that he does not expect Liverpool-linked midfielder Martin Zubimendi to push for an exit during the January transfer window. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has insisted that there is "no deadline" to sign a new contract at Anfield as he prepares to enter the last six months of his current terms. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Liverpool will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table against Leicester in Boxing Day's late kick-off. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Mason Mount is set for another lengthy injury absence, talkSPORT understands. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Liverpool will face Leicester City on Boxing Day, live on talkSPORT, after celebrating Christmas at the top of the Premier League table. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Kai Havertz could move to the Arsenal right wing following the injury blow to Bukayo Saka. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Michael Owen has slammed the Aston Villa supporters who booed Jack Grealish - and told them to 'hang your heads in shame'. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Former Manchester City star Jesus Navas couldn't hold back the tears as he was given an emotional send-off before his retirement. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he expects Bukayo Saka to be out for "many weeks" with the hamstring injury he suffered in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly struggling to attract offers for one of their fringe players ahead of the January transfer window. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Everton defender Ben Godfrey. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Gareth Southgate had an Adele hit on repeat before stepping down as England manager. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is set to be ruled out until February, talkSPORT understands. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly identified a Sporting Lisbon youngster as a potential signing for Strasbourg. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Big things were expected of Marko Mitrovic when he joined Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2008. 23 December 2024 talksport.com talkSPORT has today announced that is has won radio rights to the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 coverage. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Boxing Day football is beloved by fans and one of the highlights of the Christmas schedule - but it can prove tricky for the players. 23 December 2024 talksport.com A handful of Premier League stars will be able to spend Christmas at home this year after receiving a Boxing Day ban.