Michael Owen has admitted that Luis Diaz – the Liverpool hero towards Benfica – could not begin towards Manchester Metropolis as he first predicted.
Liverpool’s January signing from Porto starred on Tuesday in his first look again in Portugal. He obtained an help for Sadio Mane’s purpose within the Champions League quarter-final, earlier than handing the Reds an important 3-1 lead on the demise.
Ibrahima Konate had opened the scoring from an Andy Robertson nook earlier than Mane’s second.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ball was magnificent to seek out Diaz, who headed onto Mane to make it 2-0 to Liverpool.
Benfica hit again by Darwin Nunez and the guests turned sloppy as they had been put beneath extra strain. Nonetheless, Diaz scored on the demise to revive Liverpool’s essential two-goal benefit heading into the second leg at Anfield.
However earlier than subsequent Wednesday, the Reds play Manchester Metropolis in a mouthwatering Premier League title showdown. Owen insisted that he anticipated Diaz to begin on Sunday, however has now modified his thoughts.
“The way in which Jurgen Klopp manages his substitutes would counsel possibly not. Bringing Mo Salah off, Sadio Mane off,” the pundit instructed BT Sport.
“You’d assume [Diogo] Jota must play, he’s been enjoying effectively just lately and didn’t begin at the moment, so probably not.
“Earlier than the sport I believed he [Diaz] would possibly do truly, however primarily based on that at the moment – leaving him on for the total sport – he is perhaps considering of the opposite three.”
Whoever Klopp picks, he is not going to count on any sort of drop-off in high quality. Mane
Nonetheless, Peter Crouch insisted that the supervisor could have main points behind the scenes together with his aspect’s second-half show.
Liverpool misplaced the ball a variety of occasions and couldn’t wrestle again management of the sport. Nunez’s purpose didn’t assist, and so Diaz’s third on the finish turned all of the extra essential.
Luis Diaz purpose hides Liverpool issues
Crouch stated: “They’ve obtained a terrific end result there, I don’t assume Jurgen Klopp might be over the moon with the efficiency.
“I believed second half, Benfica – though they put them beneath strain – I believed Liverpool had been sloppy at occasions. He’ll pull these gamers up, in all probability privately.
“He would possibly come out and never be fuming, however I believe within the dressing room afterwards I believe he’ll be barely involved about among the sloppy passing that went on.
“However they obtained the job performed, they had been scientific and Luis Diaz has given them an enormous enhance going into the second leg.”
Man Metropolis had been additionally in Champions League quarter-final motion on Tuesday. They edged a 1-0 win from their first leg with Atletico Madrid.
