Being a manager of a top Premier League team is no easy task. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made, and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has found himself at crossroads. In a press conference ahead of Liverpool’s match against Chelsea on the 4th of March 2021, he stated the possibility of withdrawing some of his players from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers later this month.
According to him, he can’t afford to have some of his key players spend 10 days isolating in a hotel after returning from countries on England’s Covid-19 Red List.
Traveling to and fro, directly from Red List countries is prohibited in England. All South American countries, as well as Portugal are still under these strict measures.This is a problem for Klopp, being that Liverpool have 3 Brazilian internationals, who are regulars in the national squad. These players are Alisson Becker (keeper), Fabinho (midfielder), and Roberto Firminho (striker).
Diogo Jota, who is a Portuguese forward is also expected to be called up by his national team.
The Red List law states that anyone returning to England from countries on the Covid-19 watchlist are mandated to spend 10 days isolating in an airport hotel. According to FIFA, clubs have the option of keeping their players behind, and this is an option Klopp is more than willing to take.
He says – “That is just not possible. I understand the need of the different FAs, but this is a time when we cannot make everybody happy. So we have to admit that the players are paid by the clubs, which means we have to be first priority. That’s how it is.
It means we all have understanding for different needs, with competitions coming up in the summer, I get it. But you cannot make everybody happy at the same time in this period of our lives”.
The South American qualifiers in the COMNEBOL region are facing the biggest risk of disruption.
Brazil and Argentina alone have several national team players in the English Premier League, and Klopp has been clear in his statements that the interest of the clubs should come first. The Covid-19 infection rate has significantly reduced in the UK, and the government isn’t willing to risk another wave, hence the Red List law.
Plans are also underway to relax social distancing measures, and restrictions are expected to be lifted by the 21st of June 2021.
With just one win out of their last 5 Premier League matches, Liverpool currently sit at 6th position on the table. That’s one spot lower than Chelsea, who they play later tonight.
As you can expect, Klopp needs a consistent run of wins to climb higher up the table, and possibly retain the title they won last season.
However, if he were to allow key players such as Firminho and Allison leave for the qualifiers, it means they would spend 10 days in isolation upon their return, thereby missing training sessions and matches within that period.
That is something Klopp and Liverpool cannot afford.
