"Needs to take some of those players out the firing line" - Chairman on Jurgen Klopp
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has criticised Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for playing Fabio Carvalho against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
The Reds drew 3-3 with the Seagulls at Anfield. Carvalho had very little impact on the Premier League fixture.
MacAnthony believes that Klopp should have taken the attacking midfielder out of the firing line.
“He (Klopp) needs to take some of those players out (of) the firing line,” he said on The Hard Truth podcast, as quoted by talkSPORT.
“I’m watching on Saturday and I’m a Carvalho fan, he’s going to be a terrific player, but you’re playing Brighton. They are no mugs, they’re a good team.
“And you pick a front three of Carvalho, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. On the bench Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez. £200 million worth of strikers on the bench.
“Did you arrogantly think that you were just going to roll over Brighton? You didn’t need to do that with Carvalho, don’t kill the kid. Take your time. Diaz should have been in, or Nunez has to be in.”
Anfield Watch Verdict
We do agree with MacAnthony that Klopp should not be relying on youngsters on a weekly basis.
But, when Carvalho has been given an opportunity to play this season, he has taken it with both hands.
The attacking midfielder has scored two goals in nine appearances (only two starts) for Liverpool.
Carvalho has also averaged a WhoScored player rating of 6.45 across the early stages of the campaign.
The 20-year-old has done pretty well considering that he is being used as a squad player. So, we don't blame Klopp for giving Carvalho minutes out on the pitch.