Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp has expressed dissatisfaction and frustration over the scheduling of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament, and how it affects his team. The continental competition was shifted to come up between January 9 and February 5 due to favourable weather conditions in the region during that period.

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Klopp however dreads what the performance of his team will be like without the trio of Mohammed Salah of Egypt, Sadio Mané of Senegal and Naby Keita of Guinea, who are likely to all be in Cameroon, where the tournament will be hosted, rather than being in action for the Merseyside kings during that period, January being a very crucial period of a season.

In his frustration, Klopp said...

"The African Cup of Nations going back to January is for us, a catastrophe. On top of that we have absolutely no power, so if we did say: 'We don't let him go' the player is suspended. How is that possible that the company who pays the player cannot decide if the player has to stay or not.

Another of Klopp's concerns is that players are made to play too many competitions simultaneously, and this is not good for the players. The fact that the clubs that employed these players also do not have a say when they have to go on international duties is frustrating, according to Klopp.

^{Salah, Keita and Mané are likely to be away for up to one month}
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The manager has not quickly forgotten how Liverpool suffered back in 2017, when AFCON was held in January, During that time, they were without Sadio Mané for seven games, and they ended up winning only one of those matches.

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