Premier League and EFL officials be warned: Liverpool will not appear in time for the Carabao Cup quarterfinal phase if the game schedule does not get fixed soon. That's the stand by the Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who lamented the punishing schedule of domestic fixtures this coming December.
The competition quarterfinal games have been calendared starting on December 16, and the scheduling is in conflict with Liverpool's previous arrangements. The German said his club would need to be in Qatar on the same date for the FIFA Club World Cup, and it's a commitment he intends to honor.
As for the EFL games during the holidays, Klopp said his recourse in the absence of game rescheduling is to pull out from the competition.
The best time for the Carabao Cup to resume the games will be starting from January 6, which Klopp said will be less hectic for not only for Liverpool but also for other English clubs, per the report from the Independent.
Liverpool pulling out of the competition is a scenario that EFL will not want to see, considering the club is champion multiple times, meaning the commercial on the league will no doubt be huge.
Klopp said he is optimistic that league officials will find a way to adjust the game schedules, stressing "they have to make the decision."
"You have to think about these things. If you have a fixture list where one team cannot be part of all the games, then you have to think about the fixture list. Hopefully it starts now. I really think that's fair, and this problem is obvious now. We will not be the victim of this problem," Metro reported the German coach as saying.
He reminded that to be sure, not one team will want to play in the middle of the holidays.
"If they don't find an appropriate place for us, not 3 am on Christmas Day, then we don't play it," Klopp said.
Meanwhile, the Liverpool manager was in agreement that the showdown with Arsenal came to an epic end, and it's just a bonus that his team has emerged the victor.
"I just enjoyed it. I enjoyed each second of the game. I don't know the last time I had so much fun in a football game. I saw so many really good performances," The Guardian quoted Klopp as saying.
He noted too that a lot of the young Liverpool players have participated in a memorable football game, and he was happy for them.
"I was so happy for the kids that they will remember the first night for the rest of their lives. They made it a proper, special football night. Everyone who came tonight saw 19 goals - pretty special," the German said.
