Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been criticised for his use of Luis Diaz in the games against Nottingham Forest and AC Milan, with Colombian journalist Andres Marocco questioning how the Reds have lined up.
Liverpool have mostly started the new season well under Slot, who took on the challenging job of replacing club legend Jurgen Klopp in the summer, but they suffered their first real setback of the campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield last weekend.
Diaz started that game, but was then left on the bench against Milan, coming on a substitute in the second half, with Marocco feeling Slot should have approached this the other way round.
Diaz has largely been a top performer for Liverpool since joining the club, and recently scored twice in that memorable 3-0 win away to rivals Manchester United, so it’s perhaps understandable that he should have been someone in line to start at the San Siro for such an important match in the Champions League.
Slot probably won’t be too keen to take advice from journalists and pundits, but Marocco has nevertheless had his say, and made it clear he thinks the Dutch tactician got this wrong.
Arne Slot criticised over Luis Diaz decisions with Liverpool
“What happened today [Tuesday] was strange,” he said on ESPN’s F90, as quoted by Sport Witness.
“Professor Slot, wasn’t it better to have put Lucho on as a substitute in the game against Nottingham Forest and today as a starter?
“One would think, away from home, that you need to think about the counterattack. And for the counterattack, [you need] Lucho. It’s the first game Slot didn’t start him. That’s when you say, do I need the Champions League match?
“That’s where you hope that Lucho’s head is fine. It’s not easy.”