Liverpool have flown Luis Diaz’s parents to Merseyside so they can spend Christmas with their son after their recent kidnapping ordeal.
Cilenis Marulanda was freed almost immediately after being taken by guerrilla group the National Liberation Army earlier this month but father Luis Manuel was held captive for 12 days until being released late last week.
Diaz was reunited with his parents when he returned to Colombia for international duty and the pair were in the crowd to see their son score both goals in an emotional 2-1 victory at home to Brazil on Thursday.
The PA news agency understands that following the game Liverpool paid for a private jet, for security reasons and to help manage the family’s trauma, to bring Diaz’s parents and wider family to Merseyside so they could spend an extended period of time together.
Their plane was scheduled to land at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport early on Saturday morning.
Since Diaz’s parents were kidnapped, the club have endeavoured to provide the best possible support, with manager Jurgen Klopp allowing Diaz compassionate leave and leaving decisions about when he trained and was available for selection entirely up to the player, in keeping with the family values they believe are vital to the club’s ethos.
Diaz will rejoin his family in Liverpool when he returns from international duty after their match in Paraguay on Tuesday.
He will be on a flight with the club’s other South American players Alisson Becker, who was beaten twice by his club-mate in their game in Barranquilla in the far north of Colombia, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez – who faced each other in Argentina’s 2-1 defeat by Uruguay – in a plane jointly chartered by a number of Premier League clubs to return their players home as expediently as possible.
Liverpool head to Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium next Saturday lunchtime.
Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah insists he has achieved nothing yet because he is not classed as one of the world’s greats.
The defender has made his Anfield breakthrough this season and earned the faith of boss Jurgen Klopp.
The manager said this month he was surprised about his rapid rise, with Liverpool having considered sending Quansah out on loan again after he spent the second half of last season with Bristol Rovers in League One.
But the England Under-21 international, who made his Young Lions debut last month, has now made nine appearances for the Reds this season.
However, it is not enough for the ambitious 20-year-old, who wants to make a lasting mark on the game.
He said: “No (his season has not exceeded expectations), because no-one has said ‘Jarell Quansah is one of the best players in the world’ yet.
“No-one’s said ‘he’s a top centre-back’. No-one’s said ‘he’s all this’, so until I’m regarded as at least one of the best players in the Premier League, then there is no reason for me to sit on what I’ve got and go ‘Oh yeah, I’ve played nine games for Liverpool’. That’s never been the end goal.
“I’ve always just wanted to be a winner. I’ve hated losing since I was young. I used to cry when I lost. When I lose, it still ruins my weekend and stuff like that.
“There is no point in setting goals that you think you could reach. You might as well just set a goal that maybe looks out of reach but you never know what you can get to.
“Surprised could be deemed an interesting word but I think he (Klopp) means I wasn’t expected to be there yet.
“I don’t think it was ‘It’s a surprise, I’ve trained with him before and he’s not a good player’. It was about how soon it’s come and how I’ve dealt with the adversity I have been thrown into.
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“It’s not expected from being on loan at Bristol Rovers to going straight into the first team, and to do as well as I did. That’s where the surprise came from.”
Quansah made his debut in Liverpool’s late 2-1 win at Newcastle in August, coming on as a substitute for the injured Joel Matip after Virgil Van Dijk was sent off.
He also had a goal disallowed in the Reds’ 3-2 Europa League defeat in Toulouse last week, while Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all offered words of wisdom.
He said: “They just say enjoy it. It sounds so simple and cliche but it is easy for young centre-halves to not play their game, play safe and not do what they do at other levels just because it is a step up.
“Them saying that relaxes you a bit, so when I get told to enjoy it I can be free and just play. I don’t have to worry about making mistakes because they’re going to happen.
“I can’t remember the last player who had a perfect career and never made a mistake, that is going to happen and that is the way you learn best so just enjoy myself and do the best I can.”
Now, Quansah is preparing to travel to Serbia on Friday for Saturday’s Euro 2025 qualifier in Backa Topola, before returning to face Northern Ireland at Goodison Park on Tuesday in Group F.
Lee Carsley’s side are second in the group following last month’s late 3-2 defeat to Ukraine, having smashed Serbia 9-1 at the City Ground.
The loss to Ukraine in Poland, after levelling at 2-2 having been 2-0 down, was just England’s third in qualifying since 2011 but Quansah is happy to learn the lessons.
He said: “We didn’t lock the game down as the way we should have and their goal was a sucker punch.
“Things are definitely going to be different (in Serbia), it’s always tough going away from home as we found out against Ukraine.”
The Premier League has arguably never been more competitive than it is this season, with just three points separating the division’s top five teams.
Manchester City sit top of the table on 28 points, with Liverpool and Arsenal one behind on 27, Tottenham on 26 and Aston Villa on 25.
It is the first time in Premier League history that five teams have amassed 25 points or more in their first 12 matches.
However, the level of competition extends beyond the top few sides, as demonstrated by several of the weekend’s results including City’s thrilling 4-4 draw at Chelsea and Spurs’ injury-time loss at Wolves.
Just 12 matches into the 2023-24 campaign, it is already possible to create a continuous ‘victory loop’ from English top flight results.
A victory loop is made by arranging results so that Team 1 beats Team 2, Team 2 defeats Team 3, and so on until Team 20 beats Team 1.
Sheff Utd 2 Wolves 1 (Nov 4)
Wolves 2 Tottenham 1 (Nov 11)
Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1 (Sep 30)
Liverpool 3 West Ham 1 (Sep 24)
Brighton 1 West Ham 3 (Aug 26)
Brighton 3 Bournemouth 1 (Sep 24)
Bournemouth 2 Newcastle 0 (Nov 11)
Newcastle 1 Arsenal 0 (Nov 4)
Arsenal 1 Man City 0 (Oct 8)
Man City 2 Nottingham Forest 0 (Sep 23)
Nottingham Forest 2 Aston Villa 0 (Nov 5)
Aston Villa 3 Crystal Palace 1 (Sep 16)
Man Utd 0 Crystal Palace 1 (Sep 30)
Burnley 0 Man Utd 1 (Sep 23)
Luton 1 Burnley 2 (Oct 3)
Everton 1 Luton 2 (Sep 30)
Brentford 1 Everton 3 (Sep 23)
Chelsea 0 Brentford 2 (Oct 28)
Fulham 0 Chelsea 2 (Oct 2)
Fulham 3 Sheff Utd 1 (Oct 7)
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz enjoyed an emotional reunion with his parents after flying home to Colombia for the first time since their kidnapping earlier this month.
Diaz arrived in Bogota before flying to Barranquilla – the national team base for Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil – on Tuesday where he was greeted by his father Luis Manuel and mother Cilenis Marulanda.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Colombia Football Federation published pictures of the family’s reunion alongside a short statement which read: “This was Lucho’s exciting meeting with his father Mane Diaz and his family.
“We love you and we are more united than ever! @LuisFDiaz19. We are all Colombians.”
Diaz’s parents were snatched off the street just over a fortnight ago and, while his mum was freed almost immediately, his dad was held for 12 days before being released on Thursday.
The 58-year-old said of his experience: “It was a lot of horseback riding, really hard, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain, too many insects.”
A weak Díaz, who was helped to and from a chair by his family, told journalists in his home town of Barrancas in Colombia: “I couldn’t sleep peacefully, it was very difficult, almost 12 days without sleep.”
Virgil van Dijk is hopeful Liverpool have rediscovered what it takes to push Manchester City all the way in the Premier League title race again.
The two had epic battles in 2018-19 and 2021-22, when City pipped their north-west rivals by just a single point, while in between those campaigns the Reds clinched their first championship in 30 years.
Having experienced a huge dropoff last season in finishing fifth, Jurgen Klopp’s side have bounced back after a summer midfield rebuild and will resume after the international break with a trip to the Etihad in a first-v-second clash.
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It is the closest Liverpool have been to City in 18 months and Van Dijk believes with consistency in results and fitness they can mount a sustained challenge.
Asked whether he thought they were capable of running City close for the title, the captain said: “I hope so.
“You have all these aspirations, dreams, goals and you want to compete until the very end in every competition we are in.
“That is definitely the case at the beginning of the season and then you grow into a season. It’s November and there is still so much to play for.
“It’s going well, but if we had not got a result against Brentford (a 3-0 win at the weekend) we would have been in that downward spiral – from the outside world of course – because you don’t set it up nicely for the game after the international break.
“Overall this season we have been doing well but the season is not decided in November and there could be so many twists and turns, we all know that.”
Key to that will be staying injury-free. Against Brentford, Liverpool’s options were down to the bare minimum with Alexis Mac Allister suspended and Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic – plus defenders Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate – all unavailable.
Klopp fielded a bench in which only one outfield player was aged over 20 but they got the job done to move into second and set up the intriguing trip to the Etihad a week on Saturday.
“I looked in the dressing room and it felt like we were the under-23s but we still we have the quality, if you are good enough you are old enough,” Van Dijk added.
“But we need to see, we need a bit of luck, we need no injuries and need consistency.
“We finished on a positive feeling and now it is time to focus on something else (internationals).
“When we come back there is a very big one away and we will see if we are ready for that test.”
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is embracing his ‘hybrid’ role by watching video clips of some of the world’s greatest midfielders in order to gain greater understanding.
Towards the end of last season the 25-year-old was asked to vary his right-back role by stepping into central areas to be able to dictate on the ball more and offer a different attacking dimension.
It is something which was first pioneered with John Stones by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and, while Alexander-Arnold has studied how his England team-mate has performed, he has not limited his learning to ‘hybrid’ players.
“I enjoy learning about the game, watching things, watching players, different systems, different teams, how different players play it and there are some players who play it really well,” he said after the 3-0 victory over Brentford which set up a top versus second clash against Manchester City when the Premier League resumes after the international break.
“I think as someone who plays the inverted, hybrid role – I don’t know what people call it these days – then it is obviously John Stones.
“He is someone who, for a long time, I have admired his game; he is exceptional, so I watch him a lot. Clips or even when I am just watching City’s games, I will sit and focus on him.
“I have always admired him, I do admire the way Rodri plays.
“He is pivotal in that team and someone who is massively underrated but like we have seen recently, when you take him out of the team, they are not the same. That just shows how important he is.
“I would say it is those kinds of players I watch, but there are a lot. I will watch players from the past as well – (Sergio) Busquets, (Xabi) Alonso, (Andrea) Pirlo, Stevie G (Gerrard): those players I have always enjoyed watching.”
It makes sense for Alexander-Arnold to educate himself on the ways of such midfield maestros as there has been more than a hint he could be transformed into a genuine option.
He was first tried centrally by Gareth Southgate in a game against Andorra just over two years ago and when the England squad is now published, Alexander-Arnold is listed as a midfielder.
At the time Jurgen Klopp questioned why he would play the world’s best right-back in midfield but he has mellowed his stance since then and even brought Alexander-Arnold on as the defensive midfielder in the Carabao Cup win at Bournemouth last month.
“The conversations I have had with the (England) manager and the staff there, I go there as a midfielder, I train there and that is where I try and play on the pitch barring the Australia game last time,” he added.
“It really does help me in that sense. I am not playing midfield week in, week out here but I am getting on the ball in central areas and knowing how to receive and conduct yourself and play a game in midfield is a lot different to at the side of the pitch.
“I think the way I see it and the way I am told and explained to play it (at Liverpool), it is almost when we have the ball I am midfielder and when we don’t have the ball I am a right-back.
“I think when the ball advances up the pitch it becomes more about protection and stopping counter attacks. It is more disciplined.
“When I come in as a right-back there is still (Wataru) Endo or Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) there, Fabinho last season, and their job is to stay as the number six.
“My job is the one who comes in and still has the freedom to underlap Mo (Salah) or overlap him, get into the box, shoot or cross whereas as a number six it is more rigid, your role along with the two centre-backs to ensure that when the ball pops out of the box it doesn’t go into the striker’s feet and they can build from there.”
Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford set up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but manager Jurgen Klopp is less than impressed with the lunchtime scheduling.
The Premier League’s resumption after the international break kicks off with City v Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium live on television in a Saturday lunchtime clash.
Klopp has been a long-time opponent of broadcast scheduling, particularly the 12.30pm slot, and he has aired his complaints again.
“OK, no-one can say at the moment, but how can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?” he said.
“Is it the moment where the world pays the most to see a football game? I don’t know if that is the case, I really don’t.
“Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football, it is just not possible.”
The logistics involved in getting players back from South America are well-drilled now and usually involve clubs liaising to charter a jet for all their players to return home together.
But a lunchtime kick-off requires extra planning to get them back as early as practically possible, which often involves extra work to get them into one airport at the same time.
“You have these two teams who have, all together, about 30 international players. They all come back on the same plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,” said Klopp.
“One game, one plane, they all come back.”
Liverpool endured a couple of tricky moments at home to Brentford, but two goals from Mohamed Salah, taking him to 200 in English football, and one from Diogo Jota ensured Klopp’s side leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference.
In becoming the first Reds player to score in each of their first six home matches at the start of a season, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games.
“Exceptional, just exceptional player. Played a super game today and we all know how difficult it is against these tall centre-backs,” added Klopp.
“Two players around him, all these kinds of things, how often he kept the ball for us and we could play from there. That was super important and scoring two goals.
“We had so many good moments in the first half. We scored (through Darwin Nunez), but it was offside (twice), things like that, and then in that moment, the composure for the first goal is insane.
“There is no doubt when the ball is in that area in the end you see it on the scoresheet. So a pretty special player.”
Victory ensured the team headed off on international duty with a spring in their step after a difficult week which began with a draw at Luton and got worse with defeat in the Europa League to Toulouse.
But in extending their 100 percent home league record to six matches this season, having conceded just twice at Anfield in that time, Liverpool moved into pole position as City’s nearest challengers.
“Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start (to their season),” said Klopp.
“But obviously you look at the game, the numbers, the results, most of the time it was OK or better.
“A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances (a defeat after a controversial incorrect VAR decision) obviously didn’t feel great.
“It’s absolutely all right if we just don’t really think about it. Today it was about getting through the game and we did. The boys responded sensationally well.”
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Wataru Endo on Christian Norgaard which, on the basis of what has gone before this season, he felt VAR got wrong.
“I think this situation, back in the day, never would have been a red card, but in the football we are playing now, with the slow image you can see a clear foot on the leg, four bloody marks on Christian’s leg,” he said.
“There is definitely some contact with force.”
Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford set up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but manager Jurgen Klopp is less than impressed with the lunchtime scheduling.
The Premier League’s resumption after the international break kicks off with City v Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium live on television in a Saturday lunchtime clash.
Klopp has been a long-time opponent of broadcast scheduling, particularly the 12.30pm slot, and he has aired his complaints again.
“OK, no-one can say at the moment, but how can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?” he said.
“Is it the moment where the world pays the most to see a football game? I don’t know if that is the case, I really don’t.
“Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football, it is just not possible.”
The logistics involved in getting players back from South America are well-drilled now and usually involve clubs liaising to charter a jet for all their players to return home together.
But a lunchtime kick-off requires extra planning to get them back as early as practically possible, which often involves extra work to get them into one airport at the same time.
“You have these two teams who have, all together, about 30 international players. They all come back on the same plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,” said Klopp.
“One game, one plane, they all come back.”
Liverpool endured a couple of tricky moments at home to Brentford, but two goals from Mohamed Salah, taking him to 200 in English football, and one from Diogo Jota ensured Klopp’s side leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference.
In becoming the first Reds player to score in each of their first six home matches at the start of a season, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games.
“Exceptional, just exceptional player. Played a super game today and we all know how difficult it is against these tall centre-backs,” added Klopp.
“Two players around him, all these kinds of things, how often he kept the ball for us and we could play from there. That was super important and scoring two goals.
“We had so many good moments in the first half. We scored (through Darwin Nunez), but it was offside (twice), things like that, and then in that moment, the composure for the first goal is insane.
“There is no doubt when the ball is in that area in the end you see it on the scoresheet. So a pretty special player.”
Victory ensured the team headed off on international duty with a spring in their step after a difficult week which began with a draw at Luton and got worse with defeat in the Europa League to Toulouse.
But in extending their 100 percent home league record to six matches this season, having conceded just twice at Anfield in that time, Liverpool moved into pole position as City’s nearest challengers.
“Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start (to their season),” said Klopp.
“But obviously you look at the game, the numbers, the results, most of the time it was OK or better.
“A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances (a defeat after a controversial incorrect VAR decision) obviously didn’t feel great.
“It’s absolutely all right if we just don’t really think about it. Today it was about getting through the game and we did. The boys responded sensationally well.”
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Wataru Endo on Christian Norgaard which, on the basis of what has gone before this season, he felt VAR got wrong.
“I think this situation, back in the day, never would have been a red card, but in the football we are playing now, with the slow image you can see a clear foot on the leg, four bloody marks on Christian’s leg,” he said.
“There is definitely some contact with force.”
Mohamed Salah continued his remarkable Anfield scoring record with two goals in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Brentford to bring up his 200th in English football.
Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored more in the Premier League this season than the Egypt international, who took his tally to 10 by scoring for the sixth successive home game to write another entry in club’s history books.
Intriguingly, the pair will meet in a mouthwatering first-versus-second encounter at the Etihad Stadium immediately after the international break in what will be a true test of Liverpool’s title credentials.
After a complete midfield rebuild over the summer following a fifth-place finish, the primary aim was to regain their Champions League status, but after eight wins in their opening 12 matches – and a 100 percent record at home in every competition – a different complexion has developed as they have emerged as City’s chief chasers again.
After taking 39 minutes to break down a stubborn Brentford, Salah’s double either side of half-time was added to by Diogo Jota’s late strike to put a quick end to questions over a mini-stumble after the draw at Luton and Europa League defeat in Toulouse.
In becoming the first Liverpool player to score in each of their first six home matches, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games.
And, while he claimed the plaudits once again, in many ways the architect of the victory was Darwin Nunez, whose rapid development this season continues to impress.
The Uruguay international, criticised for his wayward shooting last weekend, had two goals disallowed for offside – one only very marginally by VAR – and provided yet another assist for Salah.
His total of nine assists in his Liverpool career have all been for the Egypt international and in the Premier League it is only the third time two players have combined for an individual’s first seven in a campaign – Kevin Campbell for Ian Wright (first 10) and Troy Deeney for Odion Ighalo (seven) the others.
His all-round play has improved immeasurably from last season’s erratic performances and, while still prone to the odd aberration, he is gradually morphing into the all-action number nine the team needs.
After an early deflected cross was saved at the near post by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, Nunez poked home in the 22nd minute after Dominik Szoboszlai’s shot was deflected into his path.
It was not the first time he would have a goal ruled out for offside, although it was the most marginal.
When he buried an overhead kick after Flekken had parried Virgil van Dijk’s header it was apparent he had returned from an offside position.
Brentford had been limited to counter-attacks but almost snatched a goal when Bryan Mbeumo outpaced Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Alisson Becker got a crucial touch on the shot and Liverpool’s right-back got back to collect.
The defender was equally effective at the other end in the 39th minute when he picked out Nunez on the edge of the area and he laid off for Salah to tuck a left-footed shot inside the far post for a goal of brilliant simplicity.
A Nunez piledriver, a Salah volley over from Alexander-Arnold’s delicious chipped diagonal pass over the Brentford defence and a perfectly-judged Nathan Collins’ recovery tackle to deny the Uruguay striker a one-on-one with the keeper saw the half end on a high for the hosts.
Eighteen minutes into the second half Liverpool benefited from VAR as it ruled Kostas Tsimikas’ cross to the far post had remained in play as there was real doubt cast by Salah’s muted celebrations after heading in.
Jota capped a dominant performance with the third in the 74th minute, cutting in from the left to fire home from the edge of the area.
Late on Alexander-Arnold hooked away Collins’ goalbound header and Alisson tipped over Ethan Pinnock’s effort from the resulting corner to keep Liverpool ahead of Arsenal on goal difference and add yet more significance to the trip to the Etihad.
Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool are still not the finished article after a week of setbacks provided a dose of reality.
After snatching a late draw against newcomers Luton last weekend, a much-changed side slipped to their first Europa League defeat at Toulouse in midweek.
Liverpool have failed to win only five of 17 matches this season and they have have a 100 per cent record in eight at Anfield in all competitions but Klopp knows they have to avoid unnecessary hiccups like those of the last few days.
“Things are going in the right direction but we are not there yet. We are not as stable as I wish but that’s normal as well,” he said.
“Generally we are in a positive situation and it is important to learn to deal with that. There has been a lot of praise.
“It really feels like this (Toulouse) and Luton is a real learning curve. I wish it would not be necessary, to be honest. I wish we would learn it quickly.
“We can be a really good team. We have shown that. We cannot have what happened (in Toulouse): we were not aggressive enough. It was as easy as that.
“We can lose a game but we have to use it to learn the right things. To win a football game, you need to be aggressive.”
Liverpool’s all-new midfield has impressed having only been assembled in pre-season but the pressure on the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch has been increased recently.
Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic were already long-term absentees but with the unfortunate Curtis Jones out until after the international break, Gravenberch’s availability against Brentford in the balance due to a knee injury and Mac Allister suspended on Sunday, resources are looking thin.
That is without taking into account first-choice left-back Andy Robertson’s absence until the new year after shoulder surgery.
When the Premier League campaign resumes after the international break Liverpool have 11 matches in 38 days – starting at Manchester City and including two European ties which would have been rendered dead rubbers had the team won in southern France.
“Now it’s just important we get through this period until the international break and then after with as (few) injuries as possible because the games are coming thick and fast,” added Klopp.
“It’s crazy how many we have to play and we need them all (the squad). You will see them all.”
Liverpool have had their difficulties against Brentford before, notably in a 3-1 defeat away from home in January, and even with striker Ivan Toney serving a long-term suspension Klopp is wary of the threat they pose.
“Sometimes I remember bad things but in this specific case not really. Pretty sure it was not good,” said the Reds boss regarding that game.
“Super-challenging to play Thomas Frank and Brentford for different reasons. I’m not sure they are 100 per cent happy with the season but losing Ivan Toney and the player he was for them is really brutal.
“But they are mid-table, which is probably what Brentford wants getting through this situation and when he is coming back, using him again.
“They are well-organised, sensational at set-pieces and have really offensive players and really fast counter-attacking.
“It is always interesting and difficult as well. But it is Anfield and we should use that.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has softened his opinion over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s versatility as a potential midfielder but still believes he best serves the team from his natural right-sided role.
Just over two years ago, after the 25-year-old was deployed in a central position against Andorra by England boss Gareth Southgate, Klopp said there was no need to change the defender into a midfielder.
Those lines have been blurred since Alexander-Arnold started performing the hybrid role of stepping into central areas when Liverpool are in possession and Klopp took it one step further in last month’s Carabao Cup win at Bournemouth when he brought him on to replace holding midfielder Wataru Endo for the final half-hour.
Alexis Mac Allister has been performing the number-six role in the Premier League despite it being an unfamiliar one to him but the Argentina international is suspended for Sunday’s visit of Brentford after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Endo, who was a late addition to the squad in August, has started only one league game in the role but was already off the pitch by the time the side forged a late comeback at Newcastle.
His starts have mainly come in the Carabao Cup and Europe but he was one of a number of players who underperformed in the 3-2 defeat by Toulouse and his display was not the best preparation – he was replaced at half-time – to step in for Mac Allister at the weekend.
Klopp was asked whether Alexander-Arnold was a potential option, considering how thin the midfield resources are with Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic long-term absentees, Curtis Jones out till after the international break and Ryan Gravenberch doubtful with a knee problem.
“(A) possibility, depends on the situation and the opponent, on a lot of things,” said the German.
“We know he can play there but if we just put him there we lose one of the best right-backs in the world so we should not forget that completely.
“Of course he is an option for that position.”
Mac Allister was one of only two players retained from Sunday’s draw at Luton to start against Toulouse as Klopp knew he would get an enforced rest this weekend.
But, even in his preferred position slightly further forward, the World Cup winner struggled like many of his team-mates as Liverpool’s three-match winning run in the competition came to an end and placed greater significance on their final two games – even though they are still group leaders.
“We were not good enough defensively. We missed so many challenges and that cannot happen when we play with the high line,” Mac Allister told liverpoolfc.com.
“It is what it is, we will try to improve and go again on Sunday because we have a very important game.”
Mac Allister was involved in the most contentious incident of the night when Jarell Quansah’s last-minute equaliser was ruled out for a handball by the Argentinian after a VAR referral.
“It’s a weird one because the referee said goal and then 10 seconds later he changed the decision,” he added.
“I don’t know exactly how the rule is but it first hit my chest so it’s weird. But it’s not an excuse, we didn’t play well.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he is more concerned with side’s defensive display than the role VAR played in denying his side a late Europa League draw in Toulouse.
Individual mistakes and a lack of collective cohesion saw the hosts take a 3-1 lead but Diogo Jota’s 89th-minute strike, after Cristian Casseres’ own goal had got them back into the game, set up a dramatic conclusion.
In the seventh and final minute of added time 20-year-old centre-back Jarell Quansah thought he had equalised but after a long delay referee Georgi Kabakov was advised to go to the pitchside monitor and he ruled Alexis Mac Allister had handled the ball, even though it had initially bounced up off his chest very early in the move for the goal.
“I only saw the video back now and for me it’s not a handball – but how can I decide that?” said Klopp.
“Actually, I am a bit more concerned about (the fact that) I would have loved us to have played better, to be honest. That’s my main issue tonight.
“In the end, we were intense, we threw everything in, but the problem is in a football game you have to make the decisive things in the right moment to do them right.”
Liverpool’s problem was a side registering nine changes from Sunday’s draw at Luton never found any rhythm or structure and opponents who were hammered 5-1 at Anfield a fortnight ago took full advantage.
They were not helped by Kostas Tsimikas’ error dawdling in possession costing them the important opening goal to Aron Donnum.
“We cannot concede the goals we conceded again,” added Klopp.
“The first goal can happen, but then it happened in the second half with similar situations: we were completely open, last line too deep, counter-attack.
“They scored five goals, two disallowed, and that is obviously then not good. Yes, the result is the opposite of good, but the performance was just not good enough.
“It was well deserved to lose because they won pretty much all the decisive battles. We had too many situations where we should have won the ball but we didn’t.
“On top of that we gave the ball away easily at least twice – one was a goal, the other I am not sure if it was an allowed goal or a disallowed goal.
“Defending-wise it was just not good enough.”
Defeat ends a three-match winning run and although Liverpool remain top of the group their advantage has been cut to two points.
They also missed out on guaranteeing top spot early and therefore also skipping the additional play-off round in the knockout phase after LASK’s victory over Union Saint-Gilloise meant victory would have given them an unassailable lead.
The consequences of that are if Toulouse win their next game against Union the race to top the group will go down to the final round, and with Liverpool’s trip to Belgium coming immediately before the Premier League visit of arch-rivals Manchester United Klopp would have been hoping that fixture was a dead rubber to allow him to rest players.
Academy graduate Jarell Quansah was denied a dream first goal by VAR in the final minute of added time as Liverpool squandered the chance to secure qualification for the Europa League knockout stage with a 3-2 defeat in Toulouse.
The 20-year-old, replacing ill captain Virgil van Dijk in the side, poked home in the seventh additional minute to claim what would have been a barely-deserved point in southern France.
However, VAR alerted referee Georgi Kabakov to a potential handball after the ball bounced up off Alexis Mac Allister’s chest in the build-up and the Georgian official contentiously chalked it off.
Even a draw would have hardly papered over the individual errors and a lack of cohesion throughout a team registering nine changes.
Toulouse, who had won only three matches prior to this game, had been thrashed 5-1 at Anfield a fortnight ago but were an entirely different prospect on home turf, although they benefited from some shambolic defending.
Liverpool still top the group but their advantage has been cut to just two points and although they have the two weakest sides still to play Klopp’s 450th game in charge was not one to remember as they slipped to their first European defeat this season.
The only cause for celebration on the night came a couple of hours before kick-off when news came through from Colombia that Luis Diaz’s father had been released from his 12-day kidnap ordeal.
But even that could not ease the pain of Kostas Tsimikas dawdling in possession for Toulouse’s psychologically important first goal, or how easily the visitors conceded two more in the second half.
It even took an own goal from Cristian Casseres to get them back into the game at 2-1, only for them to concede again less than three minutes later and it was not until the 89th minute that substitute Diogo Jota set up the late drama.
On the back of the Diaz news the game began brightly for Liverpool with Joe Gomez, who has never scored for Liverpool in 188 games, flicking a Cody Gakpo cross onto the bar.
Diaz turned Mikkel Desler inside out twice to win a free-kick before his knockdown of Gomez’s cross saw Mac Allister’s volley deflected over, with goalkeeper Guillaume Restes’ parrying Ben Doak’s shot.
Toulouse gave Liverpool a warning they did not heed when Gabriel Suazo slid in at the far post to deflect Niklas Schmidt’s cross wide.
Seven minutes later Tsimikas was sloppy in possession and robbed by Donnum, who raced into the penalty area to beat Caoimhin Kelleher via a deflection off Quansah’s leg.
Midfielder Wataru Endo, who had already been booked, was lucky to escape with a lunge on Casseres but he was not so fortunate in surviving the half-time cull – and neither was Tsimikas.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold were their replacements, with the unfortunate Doak making way for Mohamed Salah.
Toulouse immediately exposed the space behind Alexander-Arnold, as Gomez had switched to left-back, with Suazo breaking forward and cutting inside Quansah before rolling a shot wide of the far post.
Thijs Dallinga did beat Kelleher in the 50th minute but referee Georgi Kabakov brought play back for a foul on Joel Matip on the edge of the penalty area.
However, Dallinga’s movement got the better of Matip eight minutes later when Diaz lost the ball on the left wing, running in behind to collect Suazo’s cross with his first touch and fire past Kelleher with his second.
Liverpool pulled a goal back they barely deserved in fortuitous fashion in the 74th minute when Gomez’s looping header towards the far post was turned into his own net by Casseres.
But that luck was short-lived as almost instantly Frank Magri converted Suazo’s cross.
Although Jota’s weaving run and shot set up Quansah’s moment in the spotlight late on, the technology denied the young centre-back.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says the release of Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father just a couple of hours before their Europa League tie in Toulouse was perfect timing.
Luis Manuel Diaz was taken along with his wife Cilenis Marulanda 12 days ago, although Diaz’s mother was freed swiftly.
After a long wait and days of negotiation with guerilla group the National Liberation Army, Diaz’s father has been released.
“It looks like Lucho (Diaz) is really happy, (giving) thumbs up all the time,” Klopp told TNT Sports.
“It looks very, very good. Timing-wise it couldn’t have been better. If it is now then great.”
The news was confirmed in a statement from the Colombian Football Federation, which said: “The Colombian Football Federation thanks the national government, the military forces and the national police, as well as all the institutions and officials that made the release of Luis Manuel Diaz, father of our player Luis Diaz, possible.
“Football as a sporting discipline symbolises talent, dedication, teamwork and the intrinsic values of human beings.
“In Colombia it must continue to be a benchmark for entertainment, healthy competition, unity and joy.
“Therefore, we insist on the need to maintain this activity, as well as those who are involved in it, in the sporting and administrative part and their families, outside of any scenario other than sports.
“Behind a ball, the dreams and illusions of boys and girls, young people, women, men and adult soccer players, their loved ones and an entire country roll.
“Football is passion in peace. Let no one ever think of attacking that reality again.”
Diaz, who scored the equalising goal at Luton on Sunday in his first appearance since his father was taken, was named in the starting line-up for Liverpool’s Europa League tie in Toulouse just minutes of his dad’s release was made public.
“We are delighted by the news of @LuisFDiaz19’s father’s safe return and we thank all those involved in securing his release,” said a club statement.
Luis Diaz’s father has been released almost two weeks after he was kidnapped, the Colombian Football Federation has confirmed.
Luis Manuel Diaz was taken along with his wife Cilenis Marulanda 12 days ago, although Diaz’s mother was freed swiftly.
After days of negotiation with guerilla group the National Liberation Army, the Liverpool winger’s father has now been released.
An FCF statement read: “The Colombian Football Federation thanks the national government, the military forces and the national police, as well as all the institutions and officials that made the release of Luis Manuel Diaz, father of our player Luis Diaz, possible.
“Football as a sporting discipline symbolises talent, dedication, teamwork and the intrinsic values of human beings.
“In Colombia it must continue to be a benchmark for entertainment, healthy competition, unity and joy.
“Therefore, we insist on the need to maintain this activity, as well as those who are involved in it, in the sporting and administrative part and their families, outside of any scenario other than sports.
“Behind a ball, the dreams and illusions of boys and girls, young people, women, men and adult soccer players, their loved ones and an entire country roll.
“Football is passion in peace. Let no one ever think of attacking that reality again.”
Diaz, who scored the equalising goal at Luton on Sunday in his first appearance since his father was taken, was named in the starting line-up for Liverpool’s Europa League tie in Toulouse just minutes of his dad’s release was made public.
“We are delighted by the news of @LuisFDiaz19’s father’s safe return and we thank all those involved in securing his release,” said a club statement.
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