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Klopp: International breaks kill me

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Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he hates international breaks, claiming that the lack of knowledge he has over his players’ wellbeing “kills” him. 

The Liverpool manager made the admission during a recent interview with James Pearce for The Athletic, citing Sadio Mane’s recent outing for Senegal as an example.

He said: “Sadio Mane played in Swaziland [for Senegal]. You know nothing about games like this. He went off straight after half-time and you are thinking ‘oh’. These are the situations that kill me, to be honest.

“It’s just not knowing about what is exactly happening, trying to find out what we can do, what we have to do. As soon as Sadio got a phone we could get in contact but he’s the player, he’s not the guy who organises everything else around it. Dealing with things like this is not cool.

“That’s why the last game before an international break is always difficult for me. The final whistle goes and then I’m thinking ‘now they leave’. That’s the biggest problem in my working life.”

OPINION

You can completely understand why Klopp might feel a little antsy every time his players go away on international duty. In many ways, it’s the only time that he has absolutely no control over his squad. You could argue that every game is a lottery when it comes to injuries and other risks, but when his players are being managed by somebody else, then he cannot legislate for the risks and gambles that those managers might take. In that sense, it’s always going to be a nervy time. Take Sadio Mane as an example. The Senegalese forward has been a key talent for the Reds this season, as exemplified by his average Whoscored rating of 7.51 so far this term. Losing him for any substantial period of time would no doubt be a serious blow to Liverpool’s title hopes this season, and if that were to happen away from Merseyside, then it would be doubly as painful to take.

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