Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Shrewsbury Town in the 4th Round of the FA Cup meaning two teams will have to play in a replay at Anfield.
And while this would surely have been a massive day for the League One side but Jurgen Klopp chose to be a massive party spoiler as shortly after the 2-2 draw, the German came out to say that the Liverpool first-team players will not play in the replay and he himself will not be in the dugout to manage the match but instead it will be reserve coach Neil Critchley who will oversee the match.
“I said to the boys already two weeks ago that we will have a winter break, which means we will not be there,” said Klopp as reported by the BBC.
“You cannot deal with us like nobody cares about it. I know that 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 that, then we cannot change it. We will not be there.”
And now speaking about the decision of Jurgen Klopp, Manchester United legend and current pundit Rio Ferdinand has come out to slam the Liverpool boss.
“When you are a successful team, you are fighting on all fronts and Liverpool are doing that. I totally understand you have to shuffle your pack,” Ferdinand told BT Sport as quoted by Football London.
“He wants to make sure his squad remains fresh and if he thinks he can get through to the next round with a younger team, then so be it. It’s a great experience for those players.
“The only issue I have and he’s taking a liberty in some ways is if he’s not actually going to be in the dugout.
“That’s where I draw the line. I think the manager should be in the dugout for every game. It doesn’t matter whether he’s putting out a depleted squad or not.”
The winner of the Liverpool vs Shrewsbury replay will take on Chelsea in the 5th Round and the League One side will surely be looking at the bright side since the last time Liverpool chose to play a second-string side in a cup game this season, things did not go too well for them.
And as for Chelsea, if somehow Shrewsbury can manage to get past the Reds at Anfield then surely the Blues will have a merry time in the next round.
