Liverpool: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he is frustrated Adam Lallana will miss Saturday’s crucial Merseyside derby against Everton after suffering a thigh injury on England duty.
Lallana sustained the problem during England’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania last weekend, but the Liverpool midfielder still managed to play the full 90 minutes.
Klopp is annoyed Lallana was allowed to push his body to breaking point having already completed just over an hour of the friendly meeting with Germany four days previously.
Those fixtures came just days after Lallana played for Liverpool in an intense Premier League clash at Manchester City.
“I was not happy that he played on Wednesday but it is not my decision and I respect 100 per cent the decisions of other managers because they have to respect my decisions, too,” Klopp said on Friday.
“Lallana made the line-up against Germany and he loves football that much he obviously didn’t say, ‘I should maybe wait another day’.
“I really think we could handle these situations better if we work together.
“As long as we do not work together we will have these situations all the time.”
With Liverpool battling to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish, Klopp knows his team can ill-afford to be without Lallana for long.
He is not the only Premier League boss unhappy with the toll taken on his squad by the international break.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho bemoaned the injuries suffered by Phil Jones and Chris Smalling while on England duty.
But Klopp insisted he hadn’t fallen out with England manager Gareth Southgate, who called the German this week to explain his decision to field Lallana in the 2-0 victory over Lithuania.
“I think it is absolutely normal to have contact with the manager of the national team,” Klopp said.
“It is not about appreciating (the call) it is about the normal situation. We both share players.
“Of course I was not happy. Someone said I was relaxed about the situation but I could not be less relaxed about this, but it is not about blaming Gareth Southgate.”
Klopp’s midfield problems have been exacerbated by the news Jordan Henderson has suffered a setback in his recovery from a foot injury, which has kept him out since February.
The England international is not expected to return to training until after next week.
“Jordan unfortunately had a little setback and he is not in team training,” Klopp added.
Everton’s ability, meanwhile, to both find the net and prevent the opposition from scoring have been key components in their recent run of impressive Premier League form, defender Leighton Baines has said.
Seventh-placed Everton have not conceded in seven of their last 10 league games, scoring 26 goals and suffering just one defeat in that run.
“By keeping a clean sheet, you obviously give yourself a chance of winning a game and if you can get a handful of goals, brilliant,” Baines told the club’s website (www.evertonfc.com).
“It’s not often you get both at the same time so we are obviously doing something right. When you are finding a way to do both of those things, you are invariably going to be winning games.” The Merseyside club’s impressive run has given them an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as they look to move within three points of fourth-placed Liverpool.
“More organisation, more structure, more responsibility. It’s about doing your job and the right thing for the team,” the 32-year-old Baines said.
“It’s a tough league to play in ... but if you have got everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and willing to put in the hard yards then it at least gives you a chance.”
