We’ve heard a lot of different excuses from Jurgen Klopp over recent weeks, usually regarding the weather, but we may actually agree with him on this latest one. As Liverpool prepare to take on Burnley, with the Reds now four points behind leaders Manchester City, the German gaffer has been talking about kick-off times.
Liverpool, who are only left in two competition, play at 12pm this afternoon before travelling to Germany to play the second leg of their Champions League last 16 game, against Bayern Munich. Klopp would have preferred his team to play at 3pm yesterday, but BT chose the game for television meaning the kick-off was moved.
Klopp said in quotes from the Daily Mail: “I don't think anyone at the Premier League thinks about that. It is not interesting to them.”
“Of course there is a difference between playing on a Saturday or Sunday. If we had three days, we would do recovery on Sunday morning, Monday you can have a little session, Tuesday a proper session and Wednesday you play.
“Now it's Sunday, so Monday is recovery and Tuesday is some kind of session. You usually train in the stadium so you can do nothing, shake your legs a bit. It's a different situation.
“That is why we will do it a bit different this time and train Tuesday morning here. But it is only the second day after the game and you can not have everybody fully.
Mauricio Pochettino is another manager who has complained in the past that English teams are not helped by the Premier League if they are competing in Europe. In comparison, Bayern Munich played yesterday and won 6-0, meaning they can enjoy an extra day of rest ahead of the crucial Liverpool game, which is finely balanced at 0-0.
Klopp continued:
“People think we are looking for excuses, we don't. We accept how it is but somebody else has to think about it. Somebody else who makes decisions.
“I don't know exactly why we play Burnley at 12 o'clock on Sunday and not Saturday at 3pm. Ask BT.
'It is all about other people making decisions. Sunday-Tuesday would be a real problem. Sunday-Wednesday is fine, but it could be better.”
