Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Jurgen Klopp loves tepid friendlies.
Of course, we’re kidding, but the Liverpool manager is not happy with the new UEFA Nations League, which has amped up matches during international breaks previously reserved for experimental XIs and low-key affairs.
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With Liverpool losing several players to injury -- albeit two during Africa Cup of Nations qualifying -- Klopp was asked for his opinion on Friday.
The vociferous German did not disappoint. From The Liverpool Echo:“They say ‘now we have proper games, real opponents and it’s better than having friendlies’, stuff like that. ... Maybe people want to see (boxer Anthony) Joshua fighting every second night but it’s not possible. Nobody asks for it in other sports.
“Do we really want opera every night or every two months? That’s the question. We have to be careful. That’s all I said. I like competition of course but at one point someone has to step back and say ‘wait, they are players, I want to watch it, but if they don’t perform then I am angry’. How can we make sure they perform? That’s all I wanted to say.”
Now I’m all for more personalities like Klopp in sports, but I have to say this is about as poor a take as it gets. Do I want any event I watch, let alone pay to see, to be less intense? Nope. Not at all.
Do I like preseason matches, or dead rubber games late in the season? Only in-as-much as they are examples of sports I like. Sorry that your guys are hurt, Jurgen, but no one short of Liverpool fans and other club managers are giving thumbs up to your talk.
I mean, seriously, have you ever watched a game and thought, “I’m glad these guys or girls aren’t trying as hard as they can!” Doesn’t being less tuned into a game provide more chances for someone to get hurt.
I don’t buy it one bit. Anyone in Jurgen’s camp? I’m happy to argue in the comments section.