Liverpool are set to be frustrated by the Premier League yet again with striker Darwin Nunez facing a race to be ready for the top-flight clash with Manchester City on November 25. Jurgen Klopp has already expressed frustration with football and television bosses after being repeatedly handed the early Saturday kick-off immediately after the international break.
November will be the third time that Liverpool have recommenced their Premier League campaign after the international break at 12.30pm the following Saturday. Klopp has pointed out that Liverpool’s array of international stars are often not back from their countries in time to prepare for their next club fixture.
The German has been specifically concerned that South American players often do not report to the club’s training ground until the final Friday of the international break, often within 24 hours of kick-off. Klopp prefers for his stars to have at least two training sessions before they feature in competitive action.
He will therefore likely be unable to start first-choice striker Nunez when Liverpool travel to Man City later this month. Nunez plays for Uruguay against Bolivia on November 21, giving him little time to make the starting eleven.
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The 24-year-old probably won’t return to Liverpool until Thursday, November 23 at the earliest, giving him a tight turnaround to be ready to face the reigning champions. Had the match been pushed back to Sunday, Nunez would have been near certain to start.
In September, Klopp aired his frustration at broadcaster TNT Sports for twice selecting his side to play in the early kick-off slot following the international break. Following the September and October international breaks, Liverpool played Wolves and Everton, respectively, in the early kick-off.
Liverpool have now been given the same problem in November, for a much more important game against City. “If I say a word about it then the world says, ‘He’s moaning again’. It is a joke. We had four players in South America who I haven’t even seen yet. In 24 hours we play Wolves,” Klopp said in September.
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“We have four international breaks by March and four two of them we have already been given the 12.30pm kick-off [immediately afterwards]. But we cannot change it. We will never change that, whoever we talk to.
”Now the TV channel has a different name, but obviously it doesn’t change anything at all. They don’t give a… so why should I talk about that? We don’t think about it.”
He added: “It’s not a problem if you have a normal week. We’ve always said that – it’s easy to adapt. The only problem is the lack of recovery time.”
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