Jurgen Klopp will think this Liverpool and Premier League development is a ‘joke’ once again

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to be incensed over the fixture scheduling decision once again as his side have been handed another tough turnaround. With December bringing seven games in 26 days for Liverpool, it is certainly going to be a tough run of games which will see Klopp rotate and utilise his squad.

Prior to that, he oversaw five games in 14 days starting with the game against Nottingham Forest this weekend which will take them into the final international break of the year - where they will then be welcomed back with a 12:30pm early-Saturday kick-off against Manchester City. It’s certainly going to be a testing time.

In fact, from Man City on November 25 to Burnley on December 26, they play nine times in total but there have been two games which have caught the eye of Liverpool fans. Originally, Klopp’s side were set to face off against Sheffield United on December 5, two days after facing Fulham and then their next game was scheduled for 15:00pm on December 9 against Crystal Palace.

That was the original schedule, but it has since been changed. The game on December 5 has been moved back a day, which in fairness gives them an extra day of rest. However, their game against Palace has been moved from 15:00pm to the 12:30pm slot, giving them slightly less time to prepare - and it is unclear why that game needs to be moved.

It’s not the first time this season that the issue of scheduling has come up; earlier this month Klopp branded the decision-makers a ‘joke’ after their game with City was moved: “If I say a word about it then the world says, ‘He’s moaning again’. This is a joke.”

Instead of what was a 15:00pm kick-off on November 25 is now a 12:30pm, which will be another game in that early slot following an international break against the reigning Premier League champions.