LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticised broadcasters over hectic match scheduling that he thinks is leading to more player injuries but his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Jose Mourinho says he was dealing with the same problems 16 years ago.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced last season to finish late and the current campaign to be condensed into a shorter period.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez face lengthy spells out following surgery, and the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita are also dealing with injuries.
Klopp says the scheduling of Champions League matches, which are broadcast by BT, and the Premier League, which is broadcast by Sky and BT, is putting a strain on players.
But Mourinho said Klopp had no choice but to get on with it.
“I arrived in (the Premier League) in 2004 so what he knows from 2015, I know since 2004,” Mourinho told a news conference on the eve of Thursday’s Europa League clash against Ludogorets.
“Nothing changes. We have to adapt to it, that’s the way it is.”
After the Europa League fixture, Spurs have a Premier League game against Mourinho’s former side Chelsea, who booked their spot in the Champions League last 16 with a 2-1 win over Stade Rennais on Tuesday.
“They were lucky this week that the draw gave them a Tuesday match. That’s not a new thing, that happens all the time,” the Portuguese manager added.
“We knew since we went into the Europa League so we’re not going to complain about it. We knew we were to always play on Thursday.”