Klopp hits back at Neville: ‘He should not think I am like him’
Jurgen Klopp has hit back at Gary Neville over his recent comments on the fixture schedule and claimed that he is thinking about “all players” and not just his Liverpool side.
Neville said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football that Klopp has been looking for an “advantage” with his moans about the fixture list.
The former Manchester United defender’s comments had followed a heated exchange between BT Sport interviewer Des Kelly and Klopp, in which Kelly disputed the Liverpool boss’ claims regarding Premier League broadcasters and injuries.
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Speaking to reporters on Friday, Klopp said: “Gary Neville said something but it is not about LFC. Maybe it is how he would deal with it but he should not think I am like him. I speak about all players and not only Liverpool players.”
In his press conference, Klopp also criticised Premier League executives for “ignoring player welfare” by not discussing the potential five substitute rule at the latest shareholder meeting.
Klopp added: “Nobody thought [five substitutes] would go through. I told you about the facts in the manager meeting, if we were allowed to vote it would have gone through with 15-16 votes.
“But that it hasn’t happened since is a sign the shareholders see it different to their managers.
“That is not a good sign, to be honest, because it shows they ignore player welfare. The coaches don’t do that but these people do. But we have to accept that for the moment.”