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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp criticized UK broadcasters Sky and BT on Sunday for match programming which he says is causing more injuries to players.
When asked by Sky Sports why he waited until the 89th minute of his team’s 3-0 win over Leicester City to make two of his three substitutions, Klopp launched a volley on the frequency of games.
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“We change late is because we constantly have to think that someone will get injured. We cannot change early, because we change early and the other one has an injury, and you end the game with nine players,” Klopp said. .
“It’s about all the players, it’s about the England players, it’s about all the players who will play the European Championship next summer, yes [Sky] don’t start talking to BT, we’re done. “
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the previous season to end late and the current campaign to be condensed into a shorter period.
The 53-year-old German believes that the programming of the Champions League matches, which are broadcast by BT, and the Premier League, which is broadcast by Sky and BT, is putting pressure on players and causing injuries.
“If we continue playing on Wednesday and Saturday at 12:30 [local time], I don’t know if you will finish the season with 11 players. The first six are the same, but I know you [the broadcasters] I don’t care, and that’s the problem, “Klopp told Sky.
Reuters has contacted Sky and BT for comment.
Klopp suffered another blow when Naby Keita had to be replaced in the 53rd minute against Leicester, who had already been injured a slew of players, including influential center-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez and midfielders Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara.
“People tell us we can rotate, who? We have offensive players, the rest are children. That’s right. It’s all good, we fight with what we have, but if you [broadcasters] Don’t start talking, you’ll see what happens ”, he said.
“We cannot change 10, 11 positions, that is not possible. Not only can we present ourselves, we have to win football matches.”
Klopp said the pandemic had forced soccer to make many changes in recent months and dismissed suggestions that it would be difficult to adjust the schedule to give teams more time to recover.
“It’s really difficult for the players, that’s the difficult thing, the rest is just a decision at a desk in an office,” he said.
