Liverpool team news: The predicted 4-3-3 line-up to face Brighton as Klopp discusses Wijnaldum contract
Jurgen Klopp says Georginio Wijnaldum’s contract stand-off with Liverpool will not damage his relationship with the influential Holland midfielder.
Wijanldum will be free to talk to overseas clubs from 1 January, and negotiate a pre-contract agreement, after failing to agree a new deal at Anfield.
With Liverpool understood to be reluctant to offer the long-term deal 30-year-old Wijnaldum wants, it is becoming less and less likely he will stay, especially as Barcelona have had a long-standing interest in the player and Klopp signed midfielder Thiago Alcantara in the transfer window
Klopp experienced a similar situation with Emre Can in 2018 when the German international joined Juventus as a free agent after running down his contract.
That didn’t create a rift between manager and player and Klopp insists it will not be a problem with Wijnaldum, who has been a key figure for the club since his £25m move from Newcastle in 2016, clocking up his 200th appearance for the Premier League champions against Leicester last weekend.
“I cannot really say a lot about that,” said Klopp. “I would be happy if he would stay here. I am pretty happy with Gini as you can see when you look at most of the line-ups.
“Gini is one of the best people I have ever met, he is one of the best players I’ve ever trained and he is an outstanding person so there is no issue, no issue at all. We are professionals. Our relationship didn’t change at all over the years – it improved obviously.
“We’ve won one or two things together so we know each other better. I’m interested in his life, he’s interested in my life – although mine is not so spectacular really – and that is the truth.
Liverpool selection issues
Klopp’s selection options are limited because Thiago, Naby Keita, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, plus long-term casualties Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, are not available.
But after missing the matches against Leicester and Atalanta, skipper Jordan Henderson is set to return in a game that will be goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s 100th appearance for Liverpool and serve as a re-union with Adam Lallana, who joined the Seagulls in the summer after six years at Anfield.
“It is no problem. We’ve had situations like this before – with Emre Can for example. He played and he gave his absolute everything until the last day of his contract and Gini will do the same, no doubt about that. No harm to our relationship for ever.”
The contract issue has certainly not had an adverse impact on Wijnaldum, regarded by many observers as being in the best form of his four and half years at Anfield.
Klopp added: “He always played good, that’s why he’s played the amount of games he has. I cannot remember a lot of bad games to be honest. He played for us in plenty of different positions and he is in a good moment, thank God. Long may it continue. As long as nothing is decided everything is possible. And I am positive.”
Meanwhile Klopp is unhappy that the broadcasters and the Premier League have ignored his complaints about having to play a 12.30 kick-off on a Saturday following a Wednesday evening game.
Liverpool take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium in a lunchtime fixture today (Sat) hard on the heels of Wednesday’s Champions League home defeat to Atalanta. And they will face the same quick turnaround next month when their visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday December 19 has been scheduled for a 12.30pm kick-off, three days after facing Tottenham at Anfield in an 8pm fixture.
Jurgen Klopp was forced to call on the cavalry from the bench on Tuesday (Photo: Getty)
“My thoughts about it are clear,” he said. “When I speak about it I speak about the issues it causes ALL players, not just our own. But at the moment it looks like it is only us until the end of the year who have the problem.
“Obviously whatever I say doesn’t help so I will stop taking about it. It will change nothing if I speak. It is just a waste of time. You have to ask other people why they do that. I don’t have the answer because we are not involved in these decisions.
“I have never said playing on Wednesday and then at 3pm on a Saturday is a problem – that is a completely normal routine for us – but Wednesday and then 12.30 on a Saturday should not be possible. We have to save the players. Sleep is a big part of recovery. If you ask sports scientists who have nothing to do with football or Liverpool they will tell you exactly the same.
“That’s over now. I can’t do anything about it so I don’t think about it in this moment. My only concern now is we have to use the few hours we have to make them as fresh as possible. I’m not a miracle worker, I cannot do that, but we have to make sure that whatever we can do from a recovery point of view we do, and we did. The boys are fit and good and we have to make sure we play a good game.”
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