Premier League and FA forced Jurgen Klopp into drastic Liverpool decision to offer future hint

Ever since arriving in English football back in October 2015, there has been one real bugbear for Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager: the sheer numbers of games being played.

And from being regarded as merely moaning about his lot, Klopp's view has now become the prevalent one with steps having been taken to help ease the burden on players and ensure they remain as refreshed as possible.

One such measure has been the introduction of the Premier League mid-winter break of which the Reds boss was a strong advocate, with teams being given a weekend off from top-flight duties. Given the lengthy absentee list for the Reds, the present pause has arrived at an opportune time for Klopp.

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That, though, wasn't the case when the break was first introduced back in 2020, the lack of joined-up by the authorities meaning FA Cup fourth round replays were scheduled when clubs had planned on being away.

Sure enough, Liverpool's failure to see off Shrewsbury Town at the first attempt meant an Anfield replay in early February. And with Klopp insistent on his players being given a breather having less than six weeks earlier been in Qatar for their successful Club World Cup campaign, the Reds faced a similar quandary as when they were in the Middle East.

The refusal of the fixture planners to switch the League Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa meant Liverpool had no option but to field an Academy side with the senior squad taking on Monterey in the Club World Cup semi-final less than 24 hours later. The young Reds were promptly thrashed 5-0.

That, though, didn't prevent Klopp