Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
More
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Slot amused by Liverpool's lunchtime kick-off after Klopp criticism

Arne Slot's tenure will start with a trip to Portman Road
Arne Slot's tenure will start with a trip to Portman RoadAFP
Liverpool boss Arne Slot joked Thursday that TNT Sports selected the Reds' opening match of the new Premier League season at Ipswich for a lunchtime kick-off because Jurgen Klopp was no longer in charge.

Former Reds manager Klopp, who stood down at the end of the last campaign, was a repeated critic of early kick-off games, particularly after midweek games and international breaks.

So much so that in one of his final press conferences at Anfield last month he labelled such fixtures "a crime".

But while he has departed, Liverpool will still launch the new season with a 12:30 BST match at Portman Road on August 17th.

"They've told me it's going to be 12.30... from what I know, Jurgen complained a lot about this so probably they thought, with Jurgen being out let's put them at 12.30 again," Slot told Liverpool's website.

"It's different to a normal 12.30 because it's not after a game in Europe. Looking forward to it. A promoted team so it's going to be special for them as well."

The 45-year-old Dutchman added: "I think every team might prefer a home game to start with, but we're going to face Ipswich and we are looking forward to that."

Last season Liverpool had six lunchtime kick-offs, while champions Manchester City and Manchester United had just three apiece.

France gouvernement

Les jeux d’argent et de hasard peuvent être dangereux : pertes d’argent, conflits familiaux, addiction…

Retrouvez nos conseils sur joueurs-info-service.fr (09-74-75-13-13, appel non surtaxé)