Radio presenter questions Jurgen Klopp’s squad for Aston Villa clash

talkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein has questioned the squad Jurgen Klopp selected to take on Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup last night.

A very young Liverpool team led by stand-in first team manager Neil Critchley lost the game at Villa Park 5-0, but there were reasons behind this being the case.

Klopp has taken all his fit senior players to Qatar to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool’s first game of the tournament is tonight against Monterrey.

The FIFA Club World Cup is clearly more important than the Carabao Cup, which is why Liverpool took the senior professionals to Qatar and left the kids to face Aston Villa.

It was not possible for the club to play the seniors against Aston Villa on the Tuesday and then play them against Monterrey in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final the following day.

However, according to Goldstein, Klopp should have made more of an effort to have some senior professionals available for the clash at Villa Park.

“I really think Jurgen Klopp has hung the kids out to dry here,” Goldstein said on talkSPORT. “They were never going to beat Aston Villa tonight.

“A lot of these kids won’t even make it into Liverpool’s first-team. One or two of them might come through.

“But mentally, the effect this has had on that squad of young kids, I just think he has shown a total disrespect for the campaign.

“He’s out on a vanity mission halfway around the world.

“If Liverpool could look back and see the damage it’s done to the club, trying to win this glorified Community Shield which no-one, other than Liverpool fans and Klopp, thinks is more important than the League Cup.”

Goldstein added: “There are so many things that could’ve been avoided tonight, there are players that could’ve been there.

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“There are players that could’ve been there… Lallana, Origi, Keita..”

“I do believe that Klopp has hung the kids out to dry.”

“He’s shown a total disrespect to the campaign.. on a vanity project!” @andygoldstein05 emotionally reacts to #LFC’s 5-0 defeat to Villa. pic.twitter.com/xhynAQl2oN

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 17, 2019

READ: Jurgen Klopp sent a message at half-time to squad facing Aston Villa 

“Origi, Lallana, Shaqiri, Keita. The kids were crying out for direction, a leader, someone who has been in a big football match.

“These players that I’ve mentioned, they’re not needed on Wednesday. Liverpool could’ve coped and flown them out after the Villa match.”

What Goldstein is failing to understand here is that the opportunity to win the FIFA Club World Cup does not come around everyday.

The Carabao Cup on the other hand is a tournament Liverpool feature in every season. It is not difficult to see why Klopp had no interest in the tournament.

The kids that played last night would have gained some invaluable experience playing against a Premier League side. No one was damaged.

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Source: anfieldhq.com