After suffering from the defending crisis, Jurgen Klopp opened a talk with Daily Mail within which he shares his thoughts about the problem.
At the beginning of the interview, Jurgen Klopp confessed that “he is not a fan of the international break.” As the latest international break went by, his Liverpool starting-11 squad was destroyed by a tremendous injury list and positive COVID-19 cases. The German coach confessed that “it was not a successful break for Liverpool.”
The problem is more urgent than the beginning of season 2020-2021 as Liverpool is approaching a heavy schedule in the upcoming months. Klopp felt painful that his first choice of the squad were all missing because of unwanted reasons.
Virgil Van Dijk was suffered from a knee injury at the earlier time of the season, before Fabinho, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, and Jordan Henderson were all missing by injured reason.
Klopp especially felt hurt for Joe Gomez, who could miss the rest of this season because of the knee injury.
” My English is not good enough to describe exactly what went through my mind. My head physio told me and everybody was sure it was serious immediately. No doubts,” Klopp said. “No hope it was only a little one. Injuries are part of the deal for players and managers. How they happen is something we are constantly worried about.”
Liverpool’s coach explained that the extreme schedule was part of why Liverpool struggled with a tremendous list of injuries.
“With Joey, it was absolutely because of the intensity of the season. That’s something we have to worry about,” Klopp said. He is so frustrated that some fans only talk about the wages of the players and use that to oppose Liverpool’s injury crisis. Klopp believed that players earned more because they had a special talent. It is not because they are soccer players.
The German coach supported his thought by using the example of Hollywood’s James Bold role. “There are actors who are brilliant but will never be James Bond. But as a James Bond, you earn more than others,” Klopp said.
The conversation moves on as Klopp agreed that English Premier League should allow clubs to have 5 subs per game. He said that “it is not all about him or Liverpool, but about the welfare of the players.” Klopp has played soccer professionally for Mainz 0.5, and he explained that the player never refused to play unless they got injured.
For Klopp, asking whether the player is fit for the game is not a good idea.
“The problem is if you ask the players, they say, ‘I’m fine!’ Because players — and you were one yourself — always want to play. Always. Until they are injured. They are not the best source,” Liverpool’s coach said.
In the end, Klopp smiled and admitted that the title race of this season has 8 candidates for it. An optimistic spirit is needed for Liverpool in this stormy time.
