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Jurgen Klopp has been outspoken in his criticism of Liverpool’s hectic schedule.
The Reds manager took aim at the broadcasters again after his draw with Brighton at the weekend, clashing with BT Sport’s Des Kelly in a tense post-game interview.
But former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has now dismantled his argument by showing that Liverpool’s schedule is no more demanding than in previous seasons.
While they have faced a difficult task with the Champions League group stage packed into a shorter season, the Reds are set to play a maximum of 60 games this season.
That would be nine less than the one Chelsea played during the 2012/13 campaign.
So far, they have played an average of one game every 5.4 days, which is nothing unusual, as teams in European competition regularly averaged one game less than every five days in the past.
And while in the worst case, the Reds could fall below that number, Neville’s chart illustrates that this is far from unique as he questioned Klopp and his grievances.
“It ended with BT Sport, but in some things [I agree with Klopp]”Said the former Manchester United defender on Sky Sports Monday Night Football.
“The start at 12:30 and the start at 12 p. M. I don’t know why, I can see why some fans may not understand why there is a difference between 12 and 3 pm. M. In terms of recovery, but personally I hated the start at 12pm. playing the Champions League in the middle of the week.
“It felt like your legs were never the same again, it felt like you were eating pasta at 9 in the morning, I agree with that, I have no idea if it’s psychological or a body clock thing, it doesn’t feel the same For a player, we understood why you had to do it, we always played at 12 because we had to get to the Asian market, where it is 7pm.
“I have some sympathy with him here, because you can’t deny it.
But Sir Alex Ferguson wanted that advantage. He wanted to be able to recover more and play different times for me to command Manchester United. That’s what Klopp wants now.
“Do you have a point in the larger context? I don’t think it is an exceptional season, it is only more exceptional because the players have rested more than ever.
“They had three months of Covid, then they had nine games where even though they had won the league, Klopp played with all of his best players, then they had five weeks off before the start of the season.
“In any season, I only have three or four weeks in the World Cup and in the Euro, so there is more rest this year than in any other year. I don’t understand why it is a unique season. I understand that the fans are not there and the feeling is not there for the players.
“I remember the third of the 2002-03 season we played at 11 am, at 11:30 noon, we played as many games in that slot, as Liverpool did in 2006-07, this is not a new problem , this is an 18 year problem.
“Liverpool have played two games in that space. The maximum Liverpool can play in that space is six, so I don’t think Jurgen Klopp can have a big complaint about being at a disadvantage, if you are successful and you are Liverpool or Manchester United, they want to see you in Asia and the Premier. League will pay for it and foreign broadcasters will pay for it.
“Volume of games? They are days per game, Liverpool plays one game every 5.4 games, Liverpool is not at a disadvantage looking at history, the players they have are asked to play every 5.4 games ”.
Despite Neville’s evidence, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher insisted that Klopp’s complaints are fully justified and not fueled by selfish motive.
“I think you [Neville] We are the only person in this country who said it is not an exceptional season, ”Carragher said.
“You’re talking like this is completely normal. Everyone has said all the time, you have players with Covid. It is outstanding. There is no denying that it is no different as a season.
“You talk about the players being away for three months, nobody knew when the season started, the players trained at home.
“This discussion started with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Istanbul and Everton. When he said that the authorities want us to fail, I said no, I don’t agree, because everyone loves Liverpool and Manchester United.
“But Klopp defended Solskjaer, I think the Liverpool manager is sincere in not thinking only of Liverpool, I think so. Why leave and return to Solskjaer? He backed it up. “
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