Luis Diaz given advanced warning as Marcelo Bielsa goes public with blueprint to stop Liverpool star

Liverpool already has one representative in the Copa America final, after Alexis Mac Allister booked his place last night. It will have one more, with Luis Diaz set to face Darwin Nunez in the other semi-final — and Marcelo Bielsa has gone public with his plan to stop the Colombian forward.

Bielsa, of course, is best known to Premier League fans for his spell in charge of Leeds United. He's also been an inspiration for a host of top coaches, Pep Guardiola included.

He's certainly succeeded in getting the best out of Nunez in his tenure so far, something Arne Slot will seek to emulate at Liverpool. The striker recently tied the Uruguay record for scoring in consecutive games,

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But Bielsa's next test will see him come up against a similarly in-form Diaz. The irony won't be lost on Liverpool, who saw both forwards struggle to make any real impact as last season wound down, but it's good to see them firing again on the international stage.

And the renowned manager has a plan. Unsurprisingly, it's his usual brand of high pressing — but he's warned his team it will need to be executed to perfection.

“If we defend with 40 meters behind us, Díaz is going to thrive,” Bielsa told the media, via AS. “He loves having space behind him, and even if we defend right in front of the goal, he’ll still find ways to take advantage.

"In games, you aim to stop the opponent from attacking while trying to create your own chances. But if you can’t dominate in the opponent’s half, people always ask about a plan B.

“There isn’t one; you just have to execute plan A as best as possible. A compact team aims to attack because it means control, but if they can’t, they need to know how to defend. We attack better than we defend, and Colombia is the same. We defend when needed, and then we just have to see what happens.”

Clearly, Diaz is worrying Bielsa. He knows that the space a pressing side risks leaving in behind is exactly what the Liverpool man feeds off, but will not drop into a deep block in a potentially vain attempt to limit his opportunities.

Instead, it's all about making sure Uruguay presses so well that the shape remains sufficiently compact. The space may well be there, but Colombia will not be allowed the time to find Diaz — or at least, that's the plan. Having been put on advanced warning by Bielsa, the winger will know he might need to be clinical when the chances do come.

Liverpool.com says: Bielsa was always a breath of fresh air in the Premier League, calling things how he saw them and unafraid to go into tactical explanations. He's been doing a great job with Uruguay.

This should be a very good game, with Nunez and Diaz both the chief danger men for their sides. As Bielsa touched upon, neither side have the meanest defenses, so both will fancy themselves to get on the score-sheet.