KLOPP’S KOP-OUT
Our experts agree that Liverpool’s manager has been disrespectful to the FA Cup
CHRIS SUTTON
When Liverpool’s kids face Shrewsbury at Anfield, where will Jurgen Klopp be? We know he won’t be on the touchline, showing manager Sam Ricketts the respect he and his players deserve for coming back from 2-0 down.
Maybe he will be poolside in Ibiza, umbrella hat on, cocktail in hand, grinning that big grin. What the German is doing is wrong. It’s a Klopp-out; a snub with a smile. Want to play your youngsters? Fine, but don’t disregard this replay and say it’s one for the Under 23s and their manager neil Critchley. Turn up and take charge of the team yourself. Throw some experience in there, reach the fifth round and continue chasing the Treble.
Would Klopp treat a Champions League dead rubber with the same contempt? no. What about when Liverpool have won the Premier League and they have to travel to Brighton or newcastle? Will he skip those? Of course not. Imagine how damaging this could be for the FA Cup — the Premier League’s leading coach cannot be bothered to turn up for a fixture. It sets a dangerous precedent.
I understand Klopp’s desire for a break, but Premier League sides aren’t the only ones with hectic schedules. Lower-league clubs have it tough, too, and they don’t travel in style.
Do the right thing, Klopp, and turn up. Show Shrewsbury and this competition some respect.
ADRIAN KAJUMBA
I hAve some sympathy with Klopp. The authorities got their heads together to arrange this two-week break, so it is strange to then pencil in FA Cup replays. however, Klopp knew that was the case, so the way to avoid a replay was to pick a strong enough team to get the job done in the first game.
From 2-0 up, Liverpool should still have done that. Their failure to do so makes Klopp’s reaction look OTT and like a bit of a strop. his non-appearance on the touchline would be disrespectful to Shrewsbury.
MATT BARLOW
KLOPP is wrong. Clubs cannot be allowed to opt in and out of competitions. I realise Liverpool’s workload has been heavy. It’s the price of success and with that comes great reward.
Liverpool have a strong enough squad. The Premier League allow them to pick from a 25-man group. That ought to apply to domestic cups, too.
no one would complain if Klopp rested a few first-teamers. And surely there are senior fringe players who would like to be involved. But to remove himself from the touchline feels like a protest. The issue of the fixture schedule should be addressed; to demean the world’s oldest competition is not the best way to go about it.
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
MORe fool Klopp. I get why he would rest the senior players — the fatigue levels need to be managed. But what’s his excuse for not being there? It’s his job. Clearly he’s making a stand about the break, but it all feels a bit petulant.
IAN HERBERT
ThIS is a rare mis- step from Klopp and is detrimental to the great name of Liverpool. To field a weakened side is acceptable but to delegate management is something entirely different.
In 1977, Liverpool’s defeat by Manchester United in the FA Cup final saw them fall short of the Treble. There was terrible fixture congestion then, too. Klopp still has the chance to eclipse the great Bob Paisley by claiming that Treble. Why jeopardise it just to score a point?
MIKE KEEGAN
I CAn see both sides. Klopp is right to be angered by the ‘ break’ not being taken seriously. But let’s not kid ourselves, football is business and this is a money decision. If it wasn’t, why not call for the Champions League to go back to being a
knockout competition?
JACK GAUGHAN
KLOPP’S well within his rights not to play his first team in the winter break. he’s planned for that time off. But for him not to manage the team is something else entirely. There is no excuse for a manager refusing to turn up for any match. Point-scoring is at play here and it is to the FA Cup’s significant detriment.
TOM COLLOMOSSE
KLOPP knew the rules from the start. If he was so desperate to avoid a replay, he should have fielded a team strong enough to get the job done at the first time of asking. The ‘winter break’ is a mess, but it would set a dangerous precedent if the Liverpool boss was allowed to ignore an FA Cup tie. It shows a lack of respect for the english football pyramid and gives the impression Liverpool think they are now too big for a competition they have won seven times.
OLIVER TODD
KLOPP is right that having FA Cup replays in the winter break is absurd, but it doesn’t justify him effectively pulling out of this replay. Between Klopp, the FA and the Premier League, this mess hammers another nail into the FA Cup’s coffin. If the country’s top team dismiss the Cup’s importance, it is a disgrace and deserving of punishment.
DANIEL MATTHEWS
A DISCUSSIOn is needed about the workload of top players. And Klopp’s decision to make a point now is a sign of the times. The FA Cup’s relegation to secondary status is not his fault — nor is the poor scheduling that has botched the ‘winter break’.
For someone so clearly aware of the game’s romantic pull, however, this feels unnecessary. It’s unfair on Shrewsbury and the fans. Rest players, rotate your squad, but don’t turn your back on the Cup entirely.
JOE BERNSTEIN
KLOPP isn’t being disrespectful to the Cup, the Premier League are. They decided the format of their winter break without any regard to replays. The Premier League have been trying to kill the FA Cup for years. Remember their scheduling of games on Cup final day — only for it to backfire when Manchester City got more coverage for winning at Wembley than United for clinching the title.