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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits that the logistical problems associated with the international break have been further complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.
With Sadio Mane’s positive test released late on Friday, following Thiago Alcantara’s on Tuesday, Klopp is already aware that his team’s selection options can change at any time.
And with the Merseyside derby against a high-flying Everton brought forward at 12.30 for television in the first game of the Oct. 17 restart, Klopp faces the prospect of making very late decisions about his Brazilian contingent of Roberto Firmino. Alisson Becker and Fabinho.
The trio will play in Peru on Wednesday night and are not expected to return to Melwood until Friday, less than 24 hours before kickoff, when they will take the Covid-19 tests and the results will likely not be known until the morning of match.
“I’m not saying this is the safest place in the world, but it is the place that we know at least. We know how to deal with the different scenarios,” Klopp said, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa.
“Yes, I am a bit worried. It is difficult to get in touch with all the AFs around the world.
“I fully understand the demands of the associations, UEFA and FIFA. I know how difficult the situation is for everyone, but it is not exactly perfect.”
“As a football club, you are quite often alone at the moment.
“We send the players, the Premier League and the television stations challenge us a lot because they just don’t care if our players play on Wednesday night in Peru, for example.
“They still think it’s a good idea to let us play quite early on Saturday.
“The fans of other clubs say that I moan constantly, but I do not moan. I know it is difficult.
“As a club you have to make sure you get the players home in the fastest and safest way because no one helps you.
“Then they come on Friday, we see if we can do a test (for coronavirus), and then we don’t get the result until Saturday.
“It’s really complicated. We try everything to get it right and as safe as possible, but every now and then a little more help wouldn’t hurt.”
With these considerations in mind, it is imperative that Liverpool enter the international hiatus with their 100% record intact, especially considering how well their Merseyside neighbors have been doing.
In Monday’s first half against Arsenal, the team displayed the kind of form it displayed last season when it broke such a significant gap at the top of the table and was not beaten in the league until late February.
Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum admits they are working harder to maintain those standards.
“The only thing we did now is, because we became champions, you just want to give more and win again,” he told liverpoolfc.com.
“We train hard, like we did before, maybe even harder because we know we can’t do things less because we know how difficult it is to win games and perform.
“We just do the things we did last season, but we are sharper and more focused. The type of football that we have been playing was pretty good.
“The circumstances we had to deal with were difficult, but we still did well, so that also made me proud because we were in a situation where we could find excuses, but we didn’t.
“We faced the situations we had and we tried to do a good performance on the field. That’s what we did, we had a good performance, the results were good.
“I hope we can do the same against Aston Villa, so that everyone goes to the national team with a good feeling.”
