Football

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp looks back on “really bad day” ahead of Man City clash

March 31, 2023 5:00 pm
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp looks back on “really bad day” ahead of Man City clash

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken about the “really bad day” when Luis Diaz suffered his serious injury for the Reds.

The Colombian picked up a knee injury in the Premier League trip to Arsenal back in October, and has not been seen for Liverpool since.

Diaz has been limited to just 12 appearances in all competitions this season, impressing in his brief time on the pitch with four goals and three assists.

Liverpool winger almost ready

The Reds travel to fierce rivals Manchester City on Saturday morning, and while Diaz continues to miss the matchday squad, Klopp has confirmed that the winger is close to returning to the pitch.

“Yeah, we have to be patient but it’s a massive boost anyway,” said Klopp, as quoted by the official Liverpool website. “It’s just nice to have the boy around because he is a super energiser, super-positive impact with just being around. His English got slightly better, so he used the time to learn English, which is good. 

“It was a super, super-strange and difficult season for Luis, it was the Arsenal game, what a situation that was when he got injured early in the season. It was a really bad day, by the way.

“So, we will see. In training everything looks fine but of course he’s not in the squad for the weekend, there’s no chance. Next week will be an important week for him; this week he was doing parts of training, next week I think most of the things he can do. Then we will see. Maybe [ready for] Arsenal but more likely Leeds after that.”

Reds out of form

Diaz has been one of many Liverpool players to miss a large chunk of the season through injury, with such injuries playing a major role in the club’s miserable campaign.

As well as being out of all cup competitions, the Reds sit sixth in the Premier League table, a huge 27 points off leaders Arsenal.

And while a recent strong run had improved things, with the Reds smashing Manchester United 7-0 and defeating Everton, Newcastle and Wolves 2-0, they then slipped back to their old ways with a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth.

This was followed by a 1-0 Champions League loss to Real Madrid, meaning Klopp’s men went into the international break on a two-game losing streak.

And now a mammoth task lies ahead, with Man City currently doing their utmost to keep track of the Gunners at the top of the table.

Liverpool

Nunez back for Liverpool

In some positive news for the Reds, forward Darwin Nunez looks set to be available for the clash on Saturday having missed training in recent days, as confirmed by Klopp.

The pacey Uruguayan attacker has 14 goals in all competitions this season, and could be key to unlocking a strict Man City defence.

Klopp noted: “Darwin couldn’t train for two or three days this week still because of the cut he got against Real Madrid on his foot, but was yesterday then back in full training so he is definitely in contention.”

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