Telegraph Sport has been told a number of stakeholders and factors are taken into consideration when it comes to Premier League fixture scheduling, including fans’ travel arrangements, clubs competing in other competitions, broadcast slots and local authority matters including policing.
A ban was also introduced three years ago on TNT picking teams for the Saturday 12.30pm slot if they were playing away in the Champions League the Wednesday night beforehand.
TNT is also prohibited from selecting a single club for that slot on more than six occasions.
Klopp still furious at VAR howler in Liverpool defeat to Tottenham
Klopp says he has ‘500 reasons’ for wanting to beat Tottenham this weekend following the controversial meeting of the sides earlier this season.
Liverpool were denied a legal Luis Diaz goal in their 2-1 defeat to Spurs in October, VAR failing to communicate correctly that the Colombian was onside.
The PGMOL admitted ‘significant human error’ after the audio revealed a shambolic process which failed to inform referee Simon Cooper to give the goal.
Klopp remains livid that the unprecedented mistake has been shrugged off in the same way as an error of judgment, or a result of a contentious, subjective refereeing decision. He said at the time he felt the match should be replayed, although the club did not pursue that course of action.
The memories linger, however.
“I don’t want to make it the biggest subject but I cannot forget the [last] Tottenham game as well, it was just so strange,” said Klopp.
“Only the other night was the first time since Tottenham that Simon Hooper was standing next to me for 90 minutes in a game I didn’t enjoy in the first place against Everton. I tried to get it out of my head and couldn’t. Now we play Tottenham and that was obviously not their fault that night, they just played the game, but I would like to win that game for 500 reasons and that we lost there in the way we lost is one of them.”
Liverpool were also reduced to nine-men after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were sent off; Jota’s dismissal was later adjudged by a panel of experts to be the wrong call.
Had Liverpool won that game, they might still have a chance of winning the Premier League title with three games left. Klopp has effectively conceded that is not possible for his side now.
“I know mathematically there is still a chance, but it looks like it is all over,” said Klopp.
“The pressure is off now and it would be really cool if we could play really good football again. It was really tense in the last few weeks. Playing Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday didn’t work out too well for us after a long season. Going back to the start of the season, everyone knew how important it would be to qualify for the Champions League again. It is super important for the future of the club.”
