"Trying all their best to sabotage us", "Call for an investigation" - Liverpool fans left furious with Premier League fixture changes
Liverpool fans are outraged after their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on December 9 was rescheduled from 4 PM to 12:30 PM GMT. The Reds will now become the only team to play in four early kick-offs in a row this season.
Jurgen Klopp has bemoaned the number of early kick-offs his side have had to face in previous seasons. They played six last season, winning none of these games. The main factor is fatigue due to players not being able to recover in time due to travel time following the international break.
Liverpool had poor luck with the initial schedule being given the early kick-off against Wolverhampton Wanderers away (September 16) and Everton at home (October 21). Fortunately, they were able to grind out a 3-1 and 2-0 win, respectively.
Their blockbuster clash against Manchester City was recently rescheduled to an early kick-off on November 25 following the international break. To add insult to injury, TNT Sports have rescheduled the Crystal Palace clash as well.
Liverpool fans have slammed the organizers for the decision with one fan posting on X (formerly Twitter):
"They trying all their best to sabotage us."
Another fan wrote:
"Genuinely need to call for an investigation."
"Another opportunity to build on the promising work" - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gives verdict on Reds' start to the season ahead of Toulouse clash
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes his side have made a promising start across all competitions but will need to maintain their focus in order to achieve success.
Klopp's new-look Reds have made a strong start to the season. They are fourth in the Premier League table with 20 points from nine games and have perfect records in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
In his column in the matchday programme, the German tactician wrote (via Liverpool's official website):
"Welcome to our Europa League fixture against Toulouse, our second home game of three in a little over a week and another opportunity to build on the promising work we have done at the start of the season."
"I use the word promising because that is exactly what it is. We are doing things step by step and this means being patient, working hard and having a clear idea of what kind of team we are looking to become."
He continued:
"That we have managed to start pretty well in the Premier League and the Europa League while this work is taking place is undoubtedly a positive but we cannot lose sight of the need to turn promise into something more substantial."
"There are never any shortcuts and experience tells us that there will be times when we have to suffer as we try to reach whatever our destination might be. We are striving for stability and consistency but we are doing this in real time against opponents who have similar objectives, so it stands to reason that the journey will not be easy."
Liverpool face Toulouse in the UEFA Europa League at Anfield later today (October 26).