Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp exposes a major Premier League problem and now others must explain – Paul Gorst

Jurgen Klopp says he just wants to talk. And there is much to discuss.

The Liverpool manager is firm in his view that five substitutes is a rule that must be quickly restored.

Klopp insists he is not interested in excuses and instead only seeks explanations.

“This is now a four-week shorter season but with the same number of games,” he said Friday.

“This is a very special moment, not just for football but for everyone. We all have to work hard and fight to get through it.

“In football, that’s the way it is. It seems the whole world changed, but the two things that remained were the Premier League match list and three substitutes.

“These are the two things we have to talk about. That is not an excuse. It is just an explanation.”

With just two months into the season, the Reds have already been forced through an injury crisis that hasn’t been seen in years at Anfield.

Since starting their Premier League campaign at home to Leeds on September 12, Liverpool have been beset by fitness issues.

As many as a dozen of the champions’ teams have already spent a significant amount of time on the shelf with the campaign still eight games down.

Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Kostas Tsimikas and Joel Matip have all been lost, at one point or another. games through fitness problems.

Youngsters Neco Williams and Rhys Williams are also being treated as precautions after their respective foot and hip problems during the international break.

That Liverpool are sweating over the fitness of two teenage rookies tells you a lot about where things have gone wrong this season.

This is why Klopp has been so consistent in his call for the extended bank return.

“It’s not about me. It’s not about Liverpool. It’s about the well-being of the players,” he argues with conviction.

Klopp draws on his extensive knowledge of sports science by giving his very forthright opinion on this particular topic.

German’s degree in the subject makes him an expert when discussing players entering the ‘red zone’, a theoretical area that leaves footballers more susceptible to muscle problems, with his medical department.

“Please come help us. That’s all I’m asking for. We have to fix it now,” was his message in a chat with former Reds captain Jamie Redknapp for the Daily Mail.

After teams were able to use five substitutes per game after last season’s restart, Klopp took advantage, bringing in 42 players from a possible 45.

This time, the Reds have reached the bench 22 times out of 24 in a season that has stretched resources to their limit.

Klopp is not alone in his defense of the return of five substitutes.

His Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola, along with Frank Lampard at Chelsea and Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, have echoed the Liverpool manager’s sentiments in recent weeks.

For some, however, it’s another power move from the division’s heavyweights, pushing for a cause that ultimately benefits them and their goal of glory.

That’s a claim that Klopp hotly disputes, but it’s something Burnley’s boss Sean Dyche feels is a natural no-brainer.

The Clarets manager, in contrast to the view from Anfield, believes the regulations are in perfect working order.

“For the big clubs that play a lot of games, of course it is useful,” said Dyche. “It gives them the possibility to use fresher and more prepared players.

“But of course it favors the big clubs because if you are one of the superpowers, they probably have more than 20 international footballers, so they can use them more regularly.

“In my opinion, it will help them for a season.”

But does Dyche’s argument really stand up to scrutiny?

In any particular one-off encounter, a larger called-up club could benefit from two additional substitutes in an effort to change the flow of the game.

Those demanding change may not be able to question it.

But over the course of an already arduous campaign that has now been reduced to one month less than normal, smaller squads are much more likely to be hurt by the inability to rest and rotate so frequently.

For example, Liverpool would feel capable of facing a period without Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane, no matter how damaging that would certainly be.

After all, they are heading into the weekend’s games just one point out of first place despite the aforementioned list of injuries and illnesses.

While the absence of Mane or Salah would hurt, the likes of Diogo Jota or Xherdan Shaqiri in form are capable of filling that void to some degree.

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To continue using Burnley as an example, could Dyche handle loss of voice, Chris Wood, or Ashley Barnes, in the same way?

Klopp is correct in his claim that the battle for the return of five substitutes is not discussed from a position of politicking for an advantage.

He has simply seen many of his players and other coaches succumb to the grueling and whirlwind nature of a season that is still in its formative stages.

Klopp says he only wants to explain the factors that have formed this strong stance, but he is not the one who needs to explain it.