Jurgen Klopp says NO! Does the Liverpool boss have enough reason?
The dreadful international break is fast approaching but Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp is not willing to let his players leave for country duty and has stated his reasons why it’s not a good idea.
Jurgen Klopp, not knowing if he will be backed by other managers, is the first of the Premier League bosses to publically announce he will “block” his player from leaving on international duty coming later this month.
The Reds boss gave his reasoning for this. He stated he cannot make sense of international travelling if there are still travel bands in certain locations.
Klopp is not prepared to lose his players who must venture to these high-risk places, knowing he has to worry about the possibility of them quarantining following their travels from the World Cup qualifiers.
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"Jurgen Klopp has become the first Premier League manager to confirm he will block his top stars from travelling with their nations.The Liverpool boss has declared that any player at risk of being forced into quarantine will NOT be allowed to play in World Cup qualifying games during the international break at the end of March."
This will see a host of Liverpool players stay put
Players said to be on the block list are Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Alisson, Roberto Firmino, Fabinho and Diogo Jota. These are players who are scheduled to play in the “red list” regions.
The German was clear in what he said and why he feels blocking these key players from leaving to join their national sides is not good for the club. A 10-day self-isolation period is required when/if they return from their duties.
"And that means he could ban Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Alisson, Roberto Firmino, Fabinho and Diogo Jota from playing for their countries, with all facing fixtures in red zone areas that would require a 10-day quarantine under the UK travel ban."
If this is the case, they lose out on training days and a matchday. For Klopp, this will not be an option. He has already lost many players to injury and COVID cases – much like other clubs in the Premier League.
They will just be inviting unnecessary pressure in the absence of important players. This goes for all clubs in Liverpool’s position.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may not allow players to travel to international matches later this month if there is a chance they have to quarantine on their return ❌ pic.twitter.com/WqUOfnSNmu
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 3, 2021
The Liverpool boss had this to say:
"I think everyone agrees we cannot let the players go and play for their country and come back and quarantine for 10 days in a hotel, that is not how we can do it.FIFA was kind of clear that we don’t have to let the players go this time, and I think all the clubs agree that with the same problems we cannot just let the boys go.We can’t just wait to sort the situation when they come back by placing our players in a 10-day quarantine in a hotel, it is just not possible. (Via: The Mirror)"
The Anfield side has just welcomed a couple of players back from injury and it would be a suicide mission to send them out and worry about injuries, as well as COVID protocols while on international duty.
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The previous champions are well and out of the title race after falling behind the log leaders Manchester City by 22 points. Their goal of top four requires them to improve on the pitch and they cannot do so without their top players available for selection.