Sunderland will be taking on Liverpool this weekend hoping to take advantage of the opposition’s misfortune with regard to injuries.
Jurgen Klopp has been complaining in recent weeks that his poor luck with regard to injuries has left the team struggling to find good quality replacements in several areas of the pitch. However, Sam Allardyce is not showing in any pity to his counterpart since he believes that the injuries are result ofKlopp’s intense style of management. The former Borussia Dortmund manager is known for employing very intense tactics, which drain the players in the second half of the season.
Apart from doing a lot of work in training, the players are also required to press very hard in the games. Apart from taking the energy out of the players, it also makes them prone to injuries. Allardyce has a reputation for getting the best out of players and it is largely by maintaining their shape. It was a in his long spell at Bolton Wanderers a decade ago. His Sunderland team recently ended a poor run of form with a thumping 3-1 win over Aston Villa. The win ensures that they do not go adrift near the bottom of the table.
Sunderland are now four points away from safety.”That is him (Klopp) asking his players to play a high tempo pressing game from the top end. It’s great that the players have been able to carry it out but I think it has kicked in now.I don’t think Jurgen has realised just how ferocious our league is at this period of time and because he has asked for that extra high energy, that extra 10 yards, these lads are fatiguing now with so many games in such a short period of time and are picking up these muscle strains,” said Allardyce.