While
Premier League clubs increasingly see the Cup as an irrelevance, it can still be a season-saver for the rest
Jürgen Klopp’s halo slipped a bit on Sunday night. Having watched a reserve
Liverpool side get overrun by Shrewsbury and throw away a two-goal lead into the bargain, Klopp used his post-match remarks to threaten another scratch team as he zoned in on a recurring topic – fixture congestion. The replay with Shrewsbury, he said, ran contrary to the spirit of the Premier League’s new winter break.
“I said to the boys already two weeks ago that we will have a winter break, which means we will not be there [at the replay],” Klopp said. He then cited a letter from the Premier League that asked clubs not to arrange extra matches during the break so as to give players a rest from the “physical and mental rigours” of top-flight football. “The Premier League asked us to respect the winter break. That’s what we do. If the FA doesn’t respect that, then we cannot change it. We will not be there.”