Ole Gunnar Solskjaer agrees with Jurgen Klopp over threat to both Man Utd and Liverpool
Man Utd: Fans protest against Glazers outside Old Trafford
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jurgen Klopp appear to be in complete agreement over the possible threats to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively. After both sides withdrew from the European Super League, they should be set to battle it out in the Champions League for many years to come.
However, UEFA have given their premier club competition a huge revamp that will come into affect from 2024 in which sides will play 10 group stage games instead of six as part of a bigger league format.
United boss Solskjaer is all for giving players a platform to play on the biggest stage, but admits that it could be a huge detriment come the end of the season.
“The new format of the Champions League gives the players more games – and we need to look after the players so they can play at their best level,” said Solskjaer.
“I know there’s money in it, but they are human beings.
“I want the best possible product, the best possible games of football, and the magic of a final or semi-final has to be there.
“We’re moving towards the end of this season and players are playing every two to three days.
“It’s hard to play at your maximum level after a long, long season.
“Of course players want to be part of a final. Of course they want to be part of a Euros or World Cup.
“But are we preparing them to play at the highest standard?”
Meanwhile, Klopp agreed that the hike up of four matches came as something of a shock, but admitted that these issues have become part and parcel of changes to the game.
“Everybody knows my view on more games,” said the German. “You cannot just introduce more games and more competitions. Yes the Super League is off the table. Good. Very good. Great. But the new Champions League is not ‘oh great, let’s do that!’
“They showed it to me, they called me and I had one hour with UEFA to see the whole idea, and I said ‘I don’t like it’. There are 10 games instead of six, and I have no idea where we shall put them in.
“We will see what happens. Maybe UEFA will ask for the cup competitions in England to be cancelled, or that we have 18 teams only in the league, stuff like this. Tell that to the Premier League and the EFL and they say ‘no way’.
“The only people who never get asked are the coaches, the players and the supporters. I know the supporters think we get paid a lot of money, but we are already on the edge, and all the coaches think the same, believe me. If we all think the same then there could be something in it, that it’s a little bit too much!
“UEFA didn’t ask us, the Super League inventors didn’t ask us, nobody asks us. It’s just ‘play more games’ and as we said before, that’s not possible in this structure. You cannot have 20 teams in the league, two cup competitions, 10 European games before Christmas. We don’t get asked, we just have to deliver.”
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