Klopp on Emotional Goal for Diaz in Liverpool’s Draw with Luton

Klopp: Diaz’s Return to Liverpool Depends on His Father’s Release

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that it is up to midfielder Darwin Diaz to decide when he will return to the team following his father’s kidnapping. Diaz scored a crucial goal in stoppage time to secure a point for The Reds, and dedicated the goal to his father by displaying an emotional message under his shirt, urging the kidnappers to release him.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Klopp acknowledged the significance of the goal for Diaz but emphasized that the priority should be on freeing his father. “It was a wonderful moment, but it doesn’t change the situation,” Klopp said. “The most important thing is that his father gets released.”

Klopp praised Diaz for his commitment to the team despite the difficult circumstances. “It is wonderful that he wanted to be here. That’s it, for us it was a super-important goal and for him, it was very important and emotional, but that’s it,” Klopp added. “When he is on the pitch, he is always involved in special things. We knew he would be a threat; we didn’t know how long he would play because he only had a few sessions with the team. But that is not the most important part today. He scored the goal, but we need to see some improvement in Colombia.”

Reflecting on the overall game, Klopp admitted that Liverpool did not deserve more than the point they earned against Luton Town. “Credit to Luton and how they defended and how they set up, but it was mainly up to us. We had a lot of chances and should have had much more,” Klopp said. “It is a tricky task to stay fully concentrated. Looking at the game, I think we didn’t deserve more than a point. We could have won the game with the chances we had, but now looking at it, I think we deserved a point.”

One of the best opportunities for Liverpool fell to Darwin Nunez, who unfortunately missed a close-range effort. Despite the miss, Klopp was pleased with Nunez’s overall performance. “He was offside once or twice,” Klopp commented. “The one ball Mo (Salah) squares with the header, I think Mo could do it himself, that was as well a big chance, but these are the moments. He was really involved in everything. It is fine. It is not our dream result, but we are always old enough to accept them.”