Liverpool: Klopp sends touching message to Diaz after Forest win

The Liverpool star’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool players were occupied by off-the-pitch issues before their match against Nottingham Forest.

On Saturday afternoon, reports emerged from Colombian news outlets of the kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s parents, Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda.

The couple were ambushed by a group of armed bikers when they were heading toward their house in Barrancas. A few hours later, Diaz’s mother was released but his father is still held by the kidnappers.

In Diaz’s absence, Liverpool defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1, with players paying tribute to their Colombian teammate. Speaking after the game, Klopp opened up on how the incident affected his side.

“How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult,” Klopp told reporters post-match.

“I never struggled with that, it was always my safe place. But it was impossible to do that [today], so we had to give the game an extra sense.

“That was fighting for Lucho.”

The German manager admitted he struggled to prepare his team for the Forest match, adding: “Preparation was the most difficult I have had in my life. We want to help Lucho, we cannot really help, the only thing we can do is to fight for him.”

Liverpool will face Bournemouth in their next Carabao Cup match on Wednesday.