Klopp slams festive fixture pile-up

Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp and Leicester manager, Brendan Rodgers joined forces to slam the festive fixture schedule ahead of their clubs’ Premier League clash on Tuesday. Klopp believes teams should not be made to play on both 26 December and 28 December. Liverpool were spared the burden of having to play twice in three days […]

Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp and Leicester manager, Brendan Rodgers joined forces to slam the festive fixture schedule ahead of their clubs’ Premier League clash on Tuesday.

Klopp believes teams should not be made to play on both 26 December and 28 December.

Liverpool were spared the burden of having to play twice in three days when Leeds’ visit to Anfield on Boxing Day was called off following a COVID-19 outbreak and injuries within Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The Reds head to Leicester with Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones all available again after their positive coronavirus tests.

But Klopp, who has repeatedly spoken out against the Christmas programme, insisted the Leeds and Leicester games being originally slated for 26 and 28 December was unacceptable.

“The situation should not be like this and we can discuss this every year,” he told reporters on Monday.

“It’s tradition and we want to play on Boxing Day, we could have played on Boxing Day and that would have been no problem at all.

“But playing on the 26th and the 28th is just not right, I just say that because it’s true and I think we can find solutions for that.

“It’s not that difficult to play football in a slightly different way. The 26th and the 29th, where’s the problem?”