The Reds coach let loose as he prepares for an extremely short turnaround next week
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit out at British broadcasters for failing to adjust their schedules during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming they don’t care about player welfare.
The Reds are set to play in the Champions League on Wednesday night against Atalanta before being forced to play Saturday against Brighton in the Premier League’s midday match.
Klopp’s side are already short on players with the squad plagued by injuries and Liverpool suffered another casualty on Sunday after Naby Keita was forced off in their 3-0 win Leicester City.
Speaking after that match, Klopp let loose at broadcasters, calling on them to ensure clubs aren’t being forced to play so many games in such a short space of time.
“It was never about us when I talked about it, it was about all the players. If you don’t start talking to BT [Sport] we are all done,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“Sky and BT have to talk because if we keep playing on Wednesday and Saturday [at] 12:30, I’m not sure if we will finish the season with 11 players.
“I know you [the broadcasters] don’t care and that’s the problem. We’ve discussed it for a long time and nothing’s happened.
“I don’t talk about Liverpool, I talk about all the football players out there. Yesterday, [Gerard] Pique massive knee injury. Today, [Bukayo] Saka, maybe, I’m not sure, a knee injury – he played all three games for England during the international break.
“Now people tell us to rotate players but who? We have some offensive players but the rest are kids.
“It’s a massive problem. Wednesday and Saturday 12:30 is a broadcaster problem and nothing else. We play against Atalanta on Wednesday and then 12:30 [Saturday] against Brighton. It’s an early Christmas present. We will show up there shaking. I think about sending the points. That’s how it is.”
In response to Klopp’s charges, the interviewer on Sky brought up the contracts that clubs agreed with broadcasters – a subject that touched a nerve with Klopp.
“Gentlemen, start talking and making decisions. I like the relationship with you. If someone tells me again about contracts I’ll go really nuts. Because these contracts aren’t made for a Covid season,” Klopp continued.
“We all have to adapt. Everything’s changed, but the contracts with the broadcasters is still: ‘We have this, so we keep this’. What? Everything changed, the whole world changed!”
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has previously called for early Saturday games to be scraped altogether after his side were forced to play the fixture after the international break.
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