Klopp continues furious tirade against Premier League’s hectic schedule as he hits back at…

Jurgen Klopp has continued his tirade against the Premier League’s incessant schedule and hit back at claims from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville that he was seeking to gain an advantage for his Liverpool side.

Klopp has made his views clear on the urgent need for the Premier League to change the rules and allow five substitutes mid-season, but the club chose not to raise the matter when the top-tier clubs met on Thursday. 

Former United right-back Neville responded to Klopp’s astonishing BT Sport interview at Brighton by insisting that the German’s only aim of his outbursts is to give his players as much rest as possible and the best playing times to suit his players.

Neville told Sky Sports earlier this week that Klopp is trying to gain an advantage for his side

But the Liverpool boss has now continued his war of words ahead of the visit of Wolves by declaring that he ‘is not like’ Neville and that the welfare of the league’s players does concern him. 

‘Gary Neville said something but this is not about Liverpool,’ Klopp said.

‘He should not think that I am like him. I am not like him. I speak about all players, not only Liverpool players.’

‘He said three subs helps them. It is only because we haven’t voted yesterday it doesn’t make the problem go away. 

But the Liverpool boss insists he is concerned about the welfare of all Premier League players

‘It’s about all the players and load management. Nothing else. Not for an advantage, for dealing with the Covid problem in the best way. We cannot ignore it.’

A furious Klopp engaged in a war of words with BT Sport reporter Des Kelly after James Milner was forced off with an injury in their 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Saturday as he once again blamed broadcasters for their fixture pile-up this season.

The Liverpool boss has already had to deal with a number of serious injuries to key players – such as Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold – and believes the reintroduction of the five substitutes rule will help better protect his players. 

But while admitting sympathy for the 12:30pm kick-offs that his side have had, especially following a Champions League fixture, Neville claimed Klopp’s only intention was to replicate what former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson used to do to try and get the schedule which best suited his side.

‘Sir Alex Ferguson wanted that advantage. He wanted the ability to recover more and play different times so that it sorted Manchester United. That is what Klopp wants now,’ Neville said on Monday.

‘Does he have a point in the wider context? I don’t think it is an exceptional season, it is only more exceptional because the players have had more rest than they have ever had before. They had three months of Covid, they then had nine matches where even though they had won the league Klopp played all his best players, they then had five weeks off before the start of the season.

‘In any season, I only got three or four weeks in World Cup and Euros year, so there is more rest this year than in any other year. I don’t get why it is a unique season. I get that the fans aren’t there and the feeling isn’t there for the players.’

He continued: ‘I remember the third of the season of the 2002-03 season we played at 11am, at 11:30, midday, we played so many games in that slot, as did Liverpool in 2006-07, this is not a new problem, this is a 18-year old problem.

‘Liverpool have played two games in that slot. The max Liverpool can play in that slot is six, so I don’t think Jurgen Klopp can have a major gripe about being disadvantaged.’