Klopp: "We Have so Many Games"

Given that it is his third festive schedule in English football and first without EFL Cup commitments, it is curious to see Jürgen Klopp complain about fixtures. Liverpool have a number of games—12 to be exact—between now and the beginning of 2018. One of those games, the last game of a kindly Champions League group, could be used as an opportunity to rest players if Liverpool do the needful against Sevilla later this month.

Beat Sevilla and rotate against Spartak Moscow at Anfield with qualification for the last 16 assured. If Liverpool were still in the EFL Cup, a quarter final would be sandwiched between Bournemouth away (17 December) and Arsenal away (22 December). It’s still not the right schedule for the players, but it’s okay. Even so, Klopp lamented anyway.

Klopp put the question to those in attendance after dismissing West Ham United: "We have so many games, and now the most busy time is coming! In this circumstance, and because we are now away for two weeks, I want to ask this; is there a reason why nobody plays in the midweek, the first week of January?

"They put us again on the 30th of December and the 1st of January. They could easily play all the games on the 2nd and the 3rd. I don’t understand this. Is it not possible? Is there another Bonfire day or something like this?"

Klopp was also perplexed by the timing of the Burnley game considering that it will not be televised. New Year’s Day football may be a tradition in English football, but the 50-year-old wants a better reason for the game to be played on that particular day. It’s tradition, Jürgen. The thing about tradition with English football is that it just is what it is.

“Yes," Klopp retorted. "But the Burnley game is not on television, you can’t watch it, so why does it need to be played then? If you are on holiday, do you sit around and wait until Match of the Day to watch the game?

"If it is for television, then you say ‘OK, we signed a contract, we have to play’ but it is not. I don’t understand why the games can’t be played Tuesday and Wednesday. We are talking about this long before the games. We will never talk about this again. It’s crazy.

"We are not the only ones. Burnley have to do the same, and so do other teams. But if you meet somebody and he knows why, can you get him to call me?"