Prior to the 243rd Merseyside derby, the main controversy surrounding Liverpool concerned the continent’s status in South America.
Returning all four safely to Merseyside ahead of the Blues’ visit was top of Jurgen Klopp’s agenda, with Uruguay international Darwin Nunez taking on Alisson Becker’s Brazil in Montevideo, World Cup winners Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister playing in Peru, and Colombia’s Luis Diaz playing away in Ecuador.
During the last international break, Klopp decided to bench Nunez and Diaz at Wolves, as Mac Allister, who had been playing “in the mountains of Bolivia” a few days prior, struggled in his 45-minute cameo.
This time, Diaz and Mac Allister were trusted to help seal the deal against Sean Dyche’s team, leaving Nunez, who experienced cramps during the 2-0 victory over Alisson’s Brazil, on the bench.
Liverpool tried to arrange for the return of their South American quartet earlier in order to give themselves more time to prepare for the match against their local rivals, demonstrating that they had clearly learned lessons from the September break.
In order to minimize any potential travel complications for all four players, a private jet was hired; during his press conference on Friday, Klopp hinted that this had come at a significant financial cost to the team.
Premier League teams frequently split the expense of returning players who are playing for their countries in South America. Prior to a match between the two teams in 2017, Liverpool teamed up with Ederson, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho, and Roberto Firmino of Manchester City, while Chelsea
Liverpool managed the inevitable scenario—which is far from ideal—better in October than they did in September. Playing at La Paz’s Estadio Hernando Siles, which is more than 35000 meters above sea level, Mac Allister was hauled off last month after a disappointing first half, which was probably more Klopp’s fault than anyone else’s for selecting a player who had been pictured puffing on an oxygen tank just hours before.
That time, Nunez and Diaz were required to come off the bench as they both made significant contributions to the 3-1 victory that turned the tide of play. Again on Saturday, it was Nunez whose late-game substitution helped swing the balance of power away from Dyche’s Blues.
Even though Mohamed Salah’s two goals will garner most of the attention, Diaz’s understated contributions were what ultimately decided the outcome. The No. 9’s productive season continues.
Ashley Young upended Diaz close to the halfway line in the first half, and if the seasoned full-back was not happy with Craig Pawson’s call, he could have few complaints about the second caution of the afternoon when he annihilated the Colombian winger once more in the closing minutes of the first half.
In the second half, Everton defended with ten men with determination, but Diaz again created havoc when his cross was handled by substitute Michael Keane. The winger had just had another request for a spot kick denied after being tackled inside the area when Pawson used the pitchside monitor to signal for a penalty.
Therefore, even though Diaz’s willingness to run at the Everton defense whenever he got the chance ultimately caused them to crumble, Salah and Nunez received the majority of the credit for their contributions following the game. When the Reds play at Manchester City in late November, with a 12.30 kickoff, on the other side of the international break, more of the same will be required.
Although the trip to treble winners City will undoubtedly prove to be a far tougher test than Wolves or Everton, with the utmost respect, Liverpool will feel as prepared as possible to handle it once again, having already had to deal with that scheduling twice this term.
