Liverpool manager hailed Rafa Camacho’s last-ditch tackle on Wilfried Zaha as “the most important challenge of his life” in our 4-3 win over Crystal Palace.
The Reds were holding onto the lead late in the game as Klopp brought the youngster for the final minutes.
Camacho denied Zaha from attacking the Liverpool penalty box and the ref shortly blew the whistle after a Palace player shot over the bar.
The German told Camacho about his moment in the game but the youngster didn’t seem to understand what Klopp was trying to convey.
Klopp was quoted by the Liverpool Echo saying:
“I told him immediately after the game that he’d already made the most important challenge of his life.
“I’m not sure he really got it – he looked at me like ‘What is he talking about?’ – but it was really massive.”
The German lauded Camacho’s defensive and offensive abilities and explained that sometimes players have to face “world-class” opposition that tries to beat them.
Klopp spoke about the learning process Liverpool’s full-backs have had to go through, with Andy Robertson being a prime example. The Scot wasn’t our first-choice after signing from Hull City but now is one of the best in the world.
Camacho was given his debut in our 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup, where he did a decent job.
The Reds were down to 10 men in the game against Palace and Zaha was being a thorn in our side.
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The Ivorian could have equalized for the Eagles had it not been for the young right-back, and hopefully, he gains more valuable first-team experience this season.
