Klopp appeals for broadcasters to start thinking outside the box

JURGEN KLOPP has claimed Liverpool may not finish the season with 11 fit players unless broadcasters Sky and BT work together to make schedules less gruelling.

The injury-hit Reds host Atalanta in the Champions League tomorrow before a Saturday lunchtime trip to Brighton, shown live on BT Sport.

After Sunday’s 3-0 win over Leicester, Klopp used an interview with Sky’s Geoff Shreeves to moan about the demands facing his side.

‘Everybody tells me it is difficult but it is really difficult for the players. The rest is just a decision on a desk in an office,’ Klopp (pictured) said. ‘If you don’t start talking to BT, we are all done. Sky and BT have to talk. If we keep playing on Wednesday and Saturday 12.30 I’m not sure if we will finish the season with 11 players.’

When it was put to Klopp that the clubs agreed the broadcast deals, he replied: ‘The contracts were not made for a Covid season.’ Klopp is hoping for good news on Jordan Henderson’s fitness but revealed Thiago Alcantara has yet to return to first-team training, while Naby Keita suffered a hamstring injury against Leicester.