Jurgen Klopp has an ally among his peers as Premier League boss echoes LFC manager’s grievance
Jurgen Klopp isn’t the only Premier League manager to speak out against their team being handed a 12:30 kick-off on a Saturday when playing in midweek.
Liverpool are currently in the midst of a rare 11-day gap between fixtures following their Carabao Cup win over Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday night, but their west London opponents have been given less than 72 hours of a turnaround for their lunchtime clash against local rivals Chelsea today.
Cottagers boss Marco Silva was unsurprisingly critical of the tight scheduling, saying (via The Athletic): “I share my thoughts with all of the teams that have this type of fixtures and not just us.
“I remember Jurgen speaking about when his international players returned late, and Liverpool have had early kick-offs many times. Other managers mention it after playing on a Thursday, in the Conference or Europa League, and then have the early kick-off on a Sunday.
“It’s not something to say because we have less time to prepare now. We are talking about player safety and it is already proven by the people that study these type of situations. It is clear that a minimum of 72 hours are crucial for the players to be ready to play another really competitive game.
“We are giving all our opinions, but it’s very difficult to change completely. I understand the schedule is not is not easy. I understand the business behind the TV rights and all that stuff. But in some moments, the safety of the players is important.”
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Klopp had to contend with a similar scenario in early December when Liverpool played away to Sheffield United on a Wednesday night and then had to take on Crystal Palace in south London at 12:30 the following Saturday.
The Reds boss didn’t try to hide his displeasure over the quick turnaround on that occasion, and was pilloried by some pundits for speaking his mind. It’ll be interesting to see if those critics also round on Silva for making similar comments.
We can definitely empathise with the Fulham manager’s comments, as it seems as if the authorities tasked with Premier League fixture scheduling are giving scant regard to player welfare and recovery times.
It’s an issue which is bound to crop up regularly over the coming years, now that UEFA have decided to expand the Champions League from next season and FIFA are bringing in the monstrosity of a 32-team Club World Cup in the summer of 2025.
Fulham’s visit to Chelsea comes during the one Premier League gameweek which is spread across two weekends to allow teams a mid-season breather, so why their match couldn’t be played tomorrow (or next Saturday) is a legitimate question to ask.
Yes, the January top-flight fixtures were scheduled before the Carabao Cup semi-finalists were known, but considering how the Burnley v Luton game was brought forward to last night at short notice, surely the authorities can anticipate potential scheduling conflicts and organise the matches accordingly.
Then again, that’d require them to take the wellbeing of players and fans into account, elevating those key stakeholders from the bottom of their priority list…
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