After a rare nightmare run, Jürgen Klopp swapped his latest shooting star in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday night. That helps speed things up.
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Nothing seemed to work out in the first half, where Liverpool succumbed 2-0 from home to 2-2 overall against Villarreal.
But at half-time, Jürgen Klopp persisted. Apart from saying a few well-chosen words, he replaced Luis Diaz from Colombia.
– Luis Diaz changed the match. He was fantastic once he came on, a real “game changer,” said former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, an expert on BT.
Luis Dias also scored 2-2 for Liverpool. Trent Alexander-Arnold unleashed an effort to turn from the right which the visitors’ goalkeeper managed to dodge well.
As a result, he was also named the best player on the pitch by UEFA, after just one round on the pitch.
The Colombian joined from Porto in January and quickly became one of Liverpool’s healthiest players.
– I’ve never seen a player start off so well at a club like Luis Diaz, said former Liverpool player Michael Owen on BT.
– The man came in and was absolutely stunning, says Owen’s colleague and former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand.
IN Live VGCoverage of the match between Villarreal and Liverpool hit 71 per cent of the more than 5,000 who voted “yes” to the question of whether Luis Diaz is the signing of the year in England.
– For me, he is the best signing of the season, said Rio Ferdinand.
Also internally at Liverpool they are full of joy.
– He’s amazing. He walks over you fearlessly. He just challenges again and again and again, said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
– He’s very special. We have helped him as best we can. We have tried to get it started as soon as possible. He is a special player who fits perfectly into his desire to win, said left-back Andy Robertson, and continued:
– It was difficult to get Jota out, he was fantastic for us all season, but Luis Diaz gave a very good game. With an entire season running on his belt, he will get better, but what he is doing now is very special.
Jürgen Klopp calls his goal ‘fantastic’
– He makes a big difference, but I don’t like the question because it seems like Diogo Jota is the one with the problem. That is not true. “We had eleven problems in the first place, but need healthy bones,” Klopp said of the Colombian.
The Champions League final will be played on 28 May. On Wednesday night, it will be decided whether Liverpool will meet Manchester City or Real Madrid.
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