Jurgen Klopp may blow his top if proposed World Cup change occurs
Farrell Keeling
Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at The City Ground in Nottingham, central England, on October 22, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
The prospect of further changes to cup competitions – specifically the World Cup and Champions League – adding yet more fixtures to an already cramped schedule will no doubt create some unease amongst the top managers in football.
Jurgen Klopp will certainly be no exception to that rule should FIFA, as Henry Winter has proposed on Twitter, opt to retain four-team groups and potentially extend the tournament to accommodate it all.
Darwin Nunez’s Uruguay are yet to confirm their passage through to the Round of 16 and need all three points in their upcoming clash with Ghana to have any hope of achieving that aim.
Whilst we can absolutely appreciate the importance of protecting the integrity of a competition like the World Cup, we can also understand why it will make managers like our German tactician nervous.
The 55-year-old has been a huge proponent of the idea of better player safety and wellbeing and an active critic of the fixture schedule – often inviting ridicule for his efforts.
The reality remains that if we don’t address the potential impact on club football the quality of the sport will diminish, be it due to a lack of training time, injuries or fatigue.
The protection of international football, as special as it is, shouldn’t come at the cost of the domestic side.
