Jamie Carragher has backed Jurgen Klopp’s decision to rest his senior players for Liverpool’s FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury, but believes that the Reds’ boss should take charge of the match.
The Reds will meet the Shrews for a second time at Anfield next week after the League One side secured a surprise 2-2 draw against the Premier League leaders in Sunday’s fourth-round clash.
With the game set to take place in the middle of Liverpool’s scheduled winter break, Klopp revealed that the club will field a team made of youngsters and will be led by Under-23s manager Neil Critchley.
And while Carragher says the Liverpool boss is right to rest his star players, he thinks that the German should still be on the touchline to provide the club’s young players with a boost and to avoid unwanted headlines
The former Reds defender tweeted: “Senior players having a winter break is right, you can’t implement one & then have a replay in the break.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“That’s the same for all PL clubs.
“But Klopp should take the team, his young players will be delighted & the picture of him in Ibiza with a beer will be on every front page!”
It will not be first time this season that Liverpool have fielded a weakened team without Klopp in the dugout.
The Reds’ boss used a similar tactic for the 5-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat against Aston Villa, with the first team at the Club World Cup in Qatar.
(Image: Robbie Stephenson/JMP/REX)
Klopp has been a regular critic of the fixture scheduling in England and explained his stance following his side’s draw.
“You cannot deal with us like nobody cares about it,” said the German. “I know it’s not very popular but that’s the way I see it.
“The Premier League asked us to respect the winter break. That’s what we do.
“If the FA doesn’t respect it we cannot change it. We will not be there.”
