Jurgen Klopp has revealed he spoke to Naby Keita to explain his decision to substitute the midfielder during the first half of Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
Keita lasted just 42 minutes of the Reds’ 3-1 defeat in the first leg of their quarter-final in the Spanish capital on Tuesday night, with Klopp confirming his call to replace the Guinea international with Thiago Alcantara was a tactical one. His side already trailed 2-0 after a dire start to the game.
Keita has started just nine games in all competitions this season, and may find himself on the bench again when Aston Villa visit Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday.