Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has welcomed the introduction of the drink break in Premier League matches.
High-flying matches are paused halfway through each half for the remainder of the season, with authorities aware that the games are played during the summer and eager to take health precautions due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Managers can also use the break to relay messages and tactical instructions to their players.
Within minutes of the second half’s drink break at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool scored the first game that sent them on the road to a hard-won 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, threatened by relegation.
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And Klopp said: “It is like a waiting time. I’ve wanted this for 20 years or so. Obviously no one was listening!
“Now we have a break for a drink and I really like it.
“If people think you only need a drink break when it’s 40 degrees outside, then England is not a country where you need a drink break very often, especially in the North West or North East!
“But it is important to have that. It was a strange period for the players and we did not know exactly how the children would react. No one could know that.
“I really like the opportunity to speak. From the moment the referee’s whistle sounds, it begins and it takes approximately 30 seconds for players to move.
“You don’t have much time to talk to the players. But you can give one or two bits of information.
“All coaches have the same opportunity at the same time, so that’s good. It’s fair. I like it.”
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