Former Reds player and legend Steve Nicol lashed at Jurgen Klopp’s comment that he made regarding fixture congestion. Klopp made a lengthy tirade at his press conference on Monday about his side’s match timing against Southampton.
Following Liverpool’s FA Cup triumph at Wembley against Chelsea, they have to play at St. Mary’s stadium within 3 days. Consequently, Klopp claimed that the match could take place on Thursday instead. He made this claim because he predicted the final could go to extra time – exactly what happened.
But Nicol remarked that the German’s ‘not a special case’ and he should not complain about the clogging of fixtures. The former Scottish full-back also lashed at Klopp saying he should take the Saints job if he doesn’t want a fixture pile-up. Nicol said on ESPN FC:
“Jurgen, your next job, take the Southampton job and then you won’t have to worry about complaining about fixtures. Come on.”
“Does he really want to turn round and ask the FA to help Liverpool? You’d hear every other man and his dog complaining that they’re going out of their way.”
Nicol continued:
“Look, if you’re as good as they are and as successful as they are, you’re going to have a heavy schedule. So I find it a little bit… he’s saying nothing that successful teams’ managers have not been saying since I was playing in the 80s. It was the exact same in the 80s. You’re not a special case because you do well, you shouldn’t expect anybody to look after you, so I don’t know why you go complaining.”
“And he didn’t have to. Stop complaining. I’ll tell you what, how many fans around the country, around Europe, would love to have the problem that he’s got? So, come on, don’t complain about it.”
What Klopp said in the press conference
The former Red and winner of a European Cup and four league titles reacted to Klopp’s comments. He made those in a press conference between the FA Cup win and the Southampton fixture. Klopp said:
“I know it’s better if you moan and argue when you have won something, [rather] than when you lose. There are two more match days in this week, obviously, we played Saturday and it was possible that we play 120 minutes, and they thought the best day for us to play the next game is Tuesday.”
“So, you could have given us the Wednesday, theoretically. I think that’s not possible because of the Europa League final… so, and then, Thursday maybe? So, then we would’ve played on Thursday a 90-minute game and on Sunday, which is the last matchday, which is [a] normal rhythm from when you play Europa League, you play Thursday, Sunday.“
“Nobody thought we could give them a day more rest, so that’s now the whole time like this and I have to sit here and say it.”
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