Jurgen Klopp says the preparations for Nottingham Forest clash were ‘the most difficult I’ve had in my life’ after Luis Diaz’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia before the game

• Liverpool star has been left out of the squad amid ongoing search for his parents 
• His parents were kidnapped by gunmen on motorbikes in La Guajira, Colombia
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’

Jurgen Klopp said preparing for this match was the most difficult task he has had to do in his managerial career, after Liverpool forward Luis Diaz was informed of his parents’ kidnapping while at the team hotel on Saturday evening.

Colombian forward Diaz left the squad with members of Liverpool’s staff taking care of him after he received news that his parents were taken by armed men in Barrancas, Colombia. His mother was found safe but his father was still missing on Sunday night.

And after Liverpool saw off Nottingham Forest 3-0, Klopp said: ‘The preparation was the most difficult I ever had in my life. Didn’t expect it, was not prepared for it. I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was but it was.

‘Most definitely we try to help Lucho with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help. We cannot really help so the only thing we can really do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.

‘We heard late last night. Then we spoke to Lucho. He wanted to go home. Sent people with him, had people there to take care. There is part of his family there as well. It’s why they want to be together. It’s absolutely understandable.

Jurgen Klopp said preparing for this match was the most difficult task he has had to do

‘Then we got the news about his mum which is absolutely fantastic. Since then, nothing really. They are working on it but it’s some distance away. We are obviously not the first people that get informed but we try to get knowledge of everything, but we do not want to disturb.’

Diogo Jota dedicated his goal to Diaz by lifting his No 7 shirt aloft, and Klopp added: ‘How can you make a football game seem really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I never struggled with that in my life.

‘It was always my safe place, sometimes my hiding point as a player or as a coach. You are allowed, during these 90-odd minutes, to focus just on that. And it was impossible, absolutely impossible to do that.

The star’s mother (pictured in 2019) has been rescued, but his father is believed to be still being held captive, with authorities continuing the search 

‘So it was clear we had to give the game an extra sense and it was fighting for Lucho. Then the boys pulled out the shirt and I was not 100 per cent prepared for that to be honest. It was really touching, but wonderful as well.’

Jota added: ‘Luis was with us in the hotel then he went home. It’s a very hard situation and I don’t know how anyone would react if it happened to you.

‘He was going to play. I played instead of him and I showed him his shirt to show we’re with him and we hope everything works out.

‘It’s unimaginable to think a situation like this could happen. We can just support him and show him we’re with him.’

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article