John Aldridge has urged Liverpool to make the best of a ‘joke’ situation against Manchester City and use it as ‘motivation’ to prove a point.
The fixture takes place at 12:30pm on Saturday 25 November, the third time this season that the Reds have had that kick-off slot immediately after an international break.
It was a major bone of contention for Jurgen Klopp when he addressed the media after Sunday’s win over Brentford, and the columnist was also highly critical of the scheduling, but he urged his former club to channel it as an additional motivational factor rather than feeling sorry for themselves.
In his latest piece for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge wrote: “I was, and still am, looking forward to this clash between two heavyweights at the top of the Premier League but I can’t help but feel it’s wrong that it has been scheduled for a 12:30pm kick-off on a Saturday.
“It isn’t the first time we’ve been asked to play these games straight after the international break, it’s wrong. It’s a joke. It’s an absolute joke. For whatever reason they keep picking us, it’s wrong.
“I know Jurgen Klopp slammed the decision in his press conference after the victory over Brentford, and he’s right, but you can’t keep relaying that to the players because sometimes they might feel sorry for themselves. We’ve just got to get on with it.
“Look at what happened at Newcastle when we went down to 10 men, it’s all about that mentality. Let’s show them. We’ve got to use it as a motivation. It just doesn’t make sense, whatever the reason behind it is. But it’s wrong. It’s a real shame and the powers that be need to look at these fixtures.”
It’s hard not to feel aggrieved that, after all three international breaks so far this season, Liverpool have been assigned a 12:30 Saturday kick-off, minimising recovery time for players who’ve represented their countries, with six of the Reds’ squad travelling back from outside of Europe.
Contrast that with Newcastle, who’ve had half of their 12 Premier League matches in the current campaign at 5:30pm on a Saturday, which is generally seen as a favourable kick-off time in terms of allowing for ample recuperation either side of midweek games.
Aldridge is right to call it out, but he’s also right in saying that Liverpool have to make the best of the hand they’ve been dealt when it comes to facing Manchester City, with August’s win against the Magpies the perfect example of triumphing over adversity.
If Liverpool could come from 1-0 down with a one-player disadvantage for more than half the game at St James’ Park, they can certainly summon enough fight and quality to come away from the Etihad Stadium with a result in 12 days’ time.
It has the makings of an epic encounter. Let’s hope its assignment to the Saturday 12:30 slot doesn’t hinder the quality on show, with post-international fatigue set to be a factor.
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