Liverpool winger Luis Diaz endured a quiet game against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, and Micah Richards has shared his disappointment in the Colombian forward's performance.
It was an uninspiring performance from the Reds against the Magpies at Wembley Stadium, not just from Diaz, but from the whole squad. Newcastle thoroughly deserved their victory, despite missing a host of key players for the final.
Diaz, who signed for Liverpool for a fee of £50m, was substituted in the 74th minute after barely contributing for Arne Slot's side. Liverpool have been heavily reliant on Mohamed Salah, who has performed exceptionally this season, but when the Egyptian isn't at his best, Slot needs his other forwards to show up.
Richards Shares Disappointment in Diaz
He wanted to see more
Luis Diaz
Speaking on the Rest Is Football Podcast, Richards has suggested that he wanted to see more from Diaz. The former Manchester City defender was disappointed in Diaz's performance, considering some of the displays he's seen from the Colombian winger in the past...
"I think I was disappointed with Luis Diaz today. I know he's been through a lot with his father getting kidnapped and all that sort of thing. But when I've seen him previously, he's been electric. He's been up and down."
Gary Lineker came to the defense of Diaz, hinting that he wasn't getting much of the ball, making it difficult for himself. Richards reiterated that he didn't want to pick on Diaz, but he simply wanted to see more from him...
"I'm not picking out Diaz at all, but I just think on a big pitch like Wembley, where at times there was space to exploit them gaps, I just wanted to see a little bit more."