Klopp labelled 'selfish' 'politician' for wanting 5 subs back in 2020 by Wilder

Sheffield United welcome Liverpool to Bramall Lane on Wednesday night following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom and the return of club hero Chris Wilder.

The 56-year-old is set to take charge of his first Blades game in over two years, having masterminded their promotion to the top-flight and dazzling in their debut campaign before his 2021 sacking.

Wilder's side earned many plaudits for their inventive play style which had them in contention for Champions League qualification before the Covid-enforced hiatus during the 2019-20 campaign.

However, in the following season as many league matches were played in empty stadiums, the Blades boss formed an adversarial relationship with Jurgen Klopp on account of their respective stances on issues that were affecting the game.

Let's take a look back at the brief but intense spat between the two bosses ahead of their first meeting since February 2021.

The animosity between Wilder and Klopp began with the German's criticism of the Premier League's decision not to follow the rest of Europe by permitting the use of two extra substitutes to deal with the hectic scheduling caused by the Covid pandemic.

Clubs were forced to deal with the loss of players to the disease while also managing an unusual calendar which had been condensed by a delayed start.

Klopp was joined in his opposition by Pep Guardiola but the proposal was ultimately rejected after top-flight clubs, including Sheffield United, voted against the plan ahead of the campaign believing the rule only benefitted teams with bigger squads and budgets.

In November 2020, Wilder made his feelings public and labelled the two bosses 'selfish' and claimed their stances were driven by self-interest.

'Cards on the table, he's going to look