Jurgen Klopp Explains Unorthodox Move to Play Luis Diaz as Left-Back in 2-0 Win Over Everton

Liverpool returned from the international break with a vital three points against their Merseyside rivals, Everton, with a late Mohamed Salah brace securing the victory in front of the Kop. The Reds needed to be patient against an Everton side that sat deep after Ashley Young’s dismissal shortly before the break, and Jurgen Klopp revealed the thought process behind the unorthodox move to play Luis Diaz as a left-back during the match.

Klopp Explains Unorthodox Move to Play Diaz as Left-Back

The manager explained the thinking behind the move after the match, revealing that the idea was for the Colombian to “attack” from a deeper area than he is typically used to. “We brought on another offensive player and how you can do that without taking one off? You have to change a little bit. So we put Lucho in the left-back position,” the boss told TNT Sports.

“They didn’t have a winger really there, so we thought it was possible to let him attack there. And he crossed the ball for the penalty, so it was not the worst idea we ever had.”

Patience Needed Against Resilient Everton Side

It took 75 minutes to break the deadlock when Salah swept the ball beyond Jordan Pickford from 12 yards following Michael Keane’s handball. Klopp admitted that he “would’ve loved” to have seen how the game panned out with a level playing field. “Everton is not a team with that deep a block, so I would’ve loved to play the game 11v11 or 10v10 because it’s just a different game,” he continued.

Diaz Unfortunate Not to Win Penalty

The forward was moved to left-back to allow Klopp to keep Diogo Jota and Salah on the pitch following the introduction of Darwin Nunez. Diaz was arguably unfortunate not to win a penalty after being brought down by Nathan Patterson shortly before the handball decision.

Conclusion

It is not a position we are likely to see Diaz in much this season, but the decision helped to ensure that the Reds broke down a resilient Everton side in the second half. Jurgen Klopp’s unorthodox move to play Luis Diaz as a left-back paid dividends in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Everton, and it is clear that his tactical acumen is one of the main reasons why Liverpool have been so successful in recent years.