PAIN CRAZY
Klopp and Pep echo Solskjaer’s blast over ’ killer’ schedule as Trent suffers injury
JURGEN KLOPP backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the “killer” demands placed on players by the relentless Premier League schedule.
Solskjaer spoke out after Manchester United were forced to play at Everton at lunchtime on Saturday after a Wednesday- night fixture in Turkey. Liverpool boss Klopp, who lost Trent Alexander- Arnold to a calf injury which rules him out of England duty, was backed by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after the sides shared the points at the Etihad. “No team that plays on a Wednesday night should have a
12.30pm kick- off
on Saturday,” Klopp said. “Not at 12: 30, because you wake up and play football. It’s completely normal we play on a Saturday, but it’s the 12.30 that’s a killer. The Premier League has to change, Sky, BT, they all have to talk to each other. After the tripleheader in the last international break, we played l d 12 12: 30 30pm after ft some of f the boys played Wednesday night in Peru – that’s not possible. Usually in the season we all have a tough December. This year October is like December, November is like December and December is still like December.
“Tottenham played away to Ludogorets on Thursday and today played at midday. The problem is we injure the players.
It’s not about us.
It’s about the players. We W want t t to play l football, 100 per cent, but Wednesday night and 12.30 Saturday should not be allowed. Tonight we lost Trent Alexander- Arnold.”
Guardiola ( below, with Klopp) backed the Kop boss and said: “Trent Alexander- Arnold, the English right- back, is now injured. “Here we believe we’re special, we don’t protect the players, that’s why it’s a disaster.”