The biggest dilemma around Liverpool ahead of the 243rd Merseyside derby regarded the status of their South American continent.
With Uruguay international Darwin Nunez facing off against Alisson Becker’s Brazil in Montevideo, Alexis Mac Allister in action for World Cup winners Argentina in Peru and Luis Diaz turning out for Colombia away to Ecuador, returning all four safely to Merseyside ahead of the visit from the Blues was top of the agenda for Jurgen Klopp. The previous international break saw Klopp opt to leave Diaz and Nunez on the bench at Wolves as Mac Allister, who had been playing – to use Klopp’s phrasing – “in the mountains of Bolivia” just a few days earlier struggled during his 45-minute cameo.
This time around, Nunez, who suffered cramp during the 2-0 victory against Alisson’s Brazil, was left on the bench as Diaz and Mac Allister were entrusted to help see off Sean Dyche’s side.
Lessons have clearly been learned from the September break as Liverpool sought to organise the return of their South American quartet earlier to enable them more time to prepare for the game against their local rivals. A private jet was chartered to ensure there were as little travel issues as possible for all four players, with Klopp hinting that it had come at quite the expense for the club in his Friday press conference.
It’s not unusual for Premier League clubs to share the cost of bringing back those involved in international action in South America. In 2017, Liverpool teamed up with Manchester City fly back Ederson, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino ahead of a meeting between the two sides, while Chelsea also chipped in to fly Willian back to England.
