The Brutal Schedule Makes Klopp Worried That Liverpool Will End The Season Without 11 Fit Players
JAKARTA - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is concerned that the top six Premier League teams will close the season without 11 fit players if no changes are made to protect the players.
Klopp's complaint is not without reason. The reason is, Liverpool is currently in the midst of an injury crisis while they will still play three games this week.
Juergen Klopp's men previously beat Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend and will host Atalanta for a Champions League tie on Wednesday before flying to Brighton for Saturday's match.
"If we continue playing Wednesday night and Saturday at 12.30, I'm not sure if we'll finish the season with 11 players. "All teams are six or seven in the top," Klopp said as quoted by Antara from AFP on Tuesday.
He also sprayed Sky Sports and BT Sport as the holders of the Premier League television broadcast rights. Klopp understands that they are under contract but he still hopes broadcast rights holders can make a wise decision soon.
"Everyone tells me it is a difficult decision, but it is difficult for the players. The rest is just a decision made on the office table, "he said.
"If someone told me about the contract again, I would be really crazy because the contract was not made for the COVID-19 season," he added.
So far Liverpool have lost Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. All of these players were absent when the Reds won against Leicester. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah did not appear because he was positive for COVID-19.
“I'm not talking about just us. It's about all players. This is about the Premier League players and those who played in the European championships in the summer, "said Klopp.
Klopp is not alone. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also complained about the match schedule which was considered brutal.
Solskjaer complained about MU's schedule to play against Everton on Saturday afternoon, while they just returned from Istanbul Basaksehir headquarters in the Champions League continued on Wednesday night.