However, Klopp maintains his club’s support and Anfield club’s owners have told Klopp they will back his stance and fight any action by the FA. On top of this, Klopp has also confirmed that he will not be taking charge of the match and leaves the managing responsibility to the U23s boss, Neil Critchley.
Klopp also has the backing of his boys and star man Georginio Wijnaldum claimed: “If the manager decides that the younger players are going to play the game then we should accept it. Since I’ve been in the Premier League I’ve played the season without a winter break but I also know, before I came to the Premier League, how good it is for a player to have some rest”.
The loyalty that the Reds have towards Klopp is admirable. Klopp may be receiving harsh criticism over his decision but at the end of the day, “the fans love him and the players play for him”, as wisely stated by Danny Murphy in an interview with Sportingbet.
Speaking after the draw at New Meadow on Sunday, Klopp said of his plans for next week’s game: âIn April 2019 we got a letter from the Premier League, I think, where they asked us to respect the winter break and not to organise international friendlies or competitive games. We respect that”.
âSo I said to the boys already two weeks ago that we will have a winter break which means we will not be there. It will be the kids who play that game. You cannot deal with us like nobody cares about it. I know that it’s not very popular but that’s the way I see it. We have to respect the players’ welfare. They need a rest. They need a mental rest, a physical rest, and that’s what the winter break is all about,” said Klopp. “We had to make these decisions beforehand because these boys have families.”
Shrewsberry boss Sam Rickets can also understand Jurgen Klopp’s point of view as he made the decision – “they’re fighting at the front for huge trophies…this was our cup final today, and we’ll have another one at Anfield. For Liverpool, it’s just another day to be honest.”
Although Liverpool is excelling in the Premier League, they are under sharp judgement for the fourth round FA Cup tie against League 1 outfit Shrewsbury Town, which led to the replay decision in the first place. The Reds let a 2-0 lead slip out of their grasp, even though they were in command in the first half, thanks to a Curtis Jones strike â his second in two games in the competition this season â and an own goal by former Manchester United man Donald Love.
However, things took a dark turn for Liverpool and the introduction of Jason Cummings changed the shape of the match leading Jurgen Kloppâs side to draw 2-2 and face a replay at Anfield. Fans were particularly critical of Takumi Minamino, who started the game up yesterday upfront but struggled to get into the game. Fans took to twitter to also criticise “Lovren, Matip and Fabinho (who) were a complete disgrace tonight”.
Fabinho, the Brazilian star who is valued at £63 million, seemed rusty and off to many fans, but even world-class players are allowed to have an off day once in a while too.