Friday 8 January 2016 13:23, UK
Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson has backed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp over the club's growing injury list - and believes there is no need for a Premier League winter break.
Jordon Ibe became the 13th Liverpool player to be sidelined after straining his hamstring in Tuesday's Capital One Cup win over Stoke, with Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren and Kolo Toure also picking up injuries at the Britannia Stadium.
Klopp is expected to make several changes for Friday's FA Cup game at Exeter, but Thompson believes the former Borussia Dortmund manager's training methods should not be placed under scrutiny - and says injuries are commonplace among the Premier League's elite.
"It's extremely difficult because of the amount of games we play in the Premier League - Arsenal have had similar problems, Man City have had it with Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva, and Manchester United have also had their injury concerns," Thompson told Sky Sports.
"I don't think there is any blame at the manager and his staff - it's the nature of the Premier League and the intensity of how we play the games that will be very new to Jurgen.
"He's never had to deal with playing games over holiday periods when they come thick and fast.
"Some people are saying they are training too hard and others are saying they are not training hard enough - I think the solution is somewhere in between," he added.
"I'd definitely be looking at the pitches they are training on and playing on but it's not a blame-game - it's looking for solutions."
During his 14-year spell in the Bundesliga as coach for Mainz and Dortmund, Klopp had the benefit of a month's break over the winter period, but Thompson says Premier League coaches must accept the busy festive schedule.
"It's never done us any harm before. The squad should be big enough and strong enough to cope with this. It's what's made us playing through these winter months - playing when it's extremely wet, the cold and on different types of pitches," Thompson said.
"It's what excites the football world which has made this league. It's not just since the introduction of the Premier League. People have been massively interested in English football since the 1960s and 70s - it's what's made it great and I don't think we should just change it for players to have break.
"In Germany they have two weeks off but I don't get that, clubs have just got to deal with it. It goes in cycles, some teams get more injuries than others - next year it may be Spurs, Manchester City - it just happens.
"We have the games, particularly the lower clubs, you pack them in over the festive period - it's a life saver to them.
"Just because some coaches don't like the way we do it well it's tough as far as I'm concerned."
