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Liverpool suffered a 2-1 loss against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Micah Richard admitted he was ‘disappointed’ with Luis Diaz’s performance in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle United.
The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat by the Magpies at Anfield - and their attacking performance was insipid. Liverpool barely threatened Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope as they mustered only seven shots throughout the showpiece contest - and two on target.
Mohammed Salah has bagged 32 goals in all competitions this season but he was quelled throughout the game. Salah’s performance came in for criticism, especially after he struggled in both legs of the Champions League last 16 second-leg defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Diaz struggled to impact the game. Former Manchester City defender Richards believes the Colombia international didn’t exploit the big Wembley pitch and put his ‘electric’ pace to good use.
What’s been said
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said: “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 have seen him before, he has been electric, he has been up and down the wing.
“I'm not picking Diaz out at all but I just think on a big pitch like Wembley where, at times there was space to exploit them gaps, I wanted to see a bit more. This team, at times, is so reliant on Mo Salah and are expecting a worldie from him. From Liverpool's point of view, the performance was a little bit flat. Maybe it was psychologically from the PSG result but I wanted to see a little bit more.”
Salah theory
Richards also suggested why Salah’s recent form has plummeted. The Muslim month of Ramadan means that the 32-year-old is now fasting between sunrise and sunset. Richard believes that is taking a lot of of Salah in terms of his energy levels. He added: “Don't forget Salah is in Ramadan now as well where he's fasting. It's only normal that he's not goning to have the same energy levels as when he can eat. For him to be actually on that pitch playing at that level is absolutely outstanding just to be there you know.”