“Should be starting this type of match” – Liverpool fans insist one player must always play from the beginning after he is dropped to the bench against Villarreal
Liverpool fans believe Luis Diaz should be starting against Villarreal in the second leg of the Reds' UEFA Champions League semi-final tie on May 3.
Diaz, 25, has been a huge success since joining the Reds from FC Porto for £40.5 million, giving Jurgen Klopp even more options in attack. The winger has three goals and one assist in eleven Champions League games this campaign.
Liverpool have one foot in the Champions League final as they defeated Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield on April 27. Pervis Estupiñán's own goal and Sadio Mane's strike in a second-half swarm saw the Reds finally break down Villarreal’s resolute defense.
Diaz started in the 2-0 win last week but Klopp has gone with Diogo Jota instead of the Colombian for tonight's game at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Fans have evidently taken to the winger given his impressive start to life at Anfield. Here are some of the reactions from fans on Twitter to the news of the Colombian winger not starting against Villarreal in the Champions League:
Liverpool targeting a tenth Champions League final
The Reds are in the ascendancy having finally broken through Villarreal's stern defense with an impressive second-half performance at Anfield.
Liverpool have won the Champions League on six occasions with their most recent success coming in 2019 against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Anfield side's most memorable final victory came in 2005 when they managed to turn around a 3-0 first-half deficit to level the game against AC Milan at 3-3.
The game went to penalties before Jerzy Dudek became the hero on the night now known as the 'Miracle of Istanbul'.
Liverpool's current crop of players seem a level above those that have come before them. They are excelling under Jurgen Klopp and are targeting an unprecedented quadruple, having already claimed the Carabao Cup in February.
Liverpool beat Chelsea on that occasion at Wembley Stadium and will once again do battle with the Blues in the final of the FA Cup on May 14.
Klopp's men are also eyeing a second Premier League title and trail Manchester City by just a point with four games remaining.
The Reds have had some memorable Champions League nights in the past and tonight could create yet another one with victory over the Yellow Submarines. Should they advance to the final, they will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid.