Brendan Rodgers Defends Jurgen Klopp’s Decision Regarding FA Cup Replay

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has weighed in on the controversial comments made by Jurgen Klopp regarding Liverpool’s FA Cup replay with Shrewsbury. 

The Reds will now face Shrewsbury again after the relatively young side let slip a 2-0 lead against their League 1 opposition to earn Salop a lucrative trip to Anfield for the replay. 

Klopp has been criticised following his comments claiming no senior players will feature in the replay, and he will not even be in charge of the side on the night. Instead, he and the senior team will be at a warm weather training camp. 

Former Liverpool boss Rodgers has defended his Anfield successor, siding with the popular opinion that the fixture congestions around Christmas puts too much of a strain on players. 

Rodgers said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo: “He’s well within his rights to do that. That’s why you have a first – team squad, you have reserve players and why you have youth players. 

"I said a number of weeks ago that the load is put on players and the pressure that some players over the December, Christmas period, this week was designed [to help that].”

Rodgers then went on to criticise the decision to host the replays during the agreed upon ‘winter break’, as it was specifically designated for Premier League sides to not play at all.

“It's not really you would say a break, but it's something at least for the players to have and to go away and recover a little bit. To then organise the replays within that was ridiculous.

"Jurgen is within his rights to pick whatever team he wants to pick. If he's going to decide to rest all his players for the benefit of the club, because that's who he is employed by, then that's what he does and he has every right to do that."