• Liverpool’s Under-23s will face Shrewsbury despite criticism• Klopp says FA did not consult ‘sports people’ over replay datesAn unrepentant Jürgen Klopp has defended his decision to play Liverpool’s under-23s in next week’s FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury, insisting Neil Critchley is the best coach for the job and the
Football Association did not consult “sports-responsible people” over dates for the game.
![Jürgen Klopp unrepentant over decision to field weakened side in FA Cup replay](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/966efbe994bb070098a4e4b56325d947d7562263/0_66_2502_1501/master/2502.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=e565fdac988618f60854734a2ff0d50e)
The
Liverpool manager has attracted widespread criticism for refusing to field any first team players in the fourth-round replay or take charge of a match during the club’s scheduled mid-season break. Klopp apologised to Shrewsbury on Tuesday for taking the spotlight away from their comeback in the first meeting with his post-match comments but, on his stance against fixture congestion, a long-time concern, the manager was defiant.