Shocking stats reveal how Liverpool's schedule has been worse than any team in Europe including Man City

Jurgen Klopp has been victimised in the past for his complaints over fixture scheduling but the latest figures from Opta prove he may have had a point all along.

Liverpool were on course for a quadruple in early-March as they were favourites for the Europa League as well as being well in the mix for the FA Cup and Premier League. Since then, two hugely disappointing ties against Manchester United and Atalanta have killed such hopes but they remain firmly in the Premier League title race alongside Manchester City and Arsenal.

The football calendar feels more packed than it’s ever been; players are asked to compete both for their club and country in more competitions than ever before and players and managers have spoken out across the past few years. Klopp has always voiced his opinion on this topic, claiming back in 2019 that something needs to change for the ‘long-term health’ of players. And Opta’s latest figures show Liverpool have been the team who have had the least amount of average time between games this season in Europe.

On average, they’ve had an average time of 116:18 hours between their 53 games (a European high) with Man City coming in second across their 52 games with 121:26 hours. Barcelona, Arsenal and Real Madrid round off the top five and the rest of the top 10 is made up of the biggest clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

It demonstrates that Liverpool’s players have been through more intensity than any other side and the fact Klopp has been able to maintain a title charge amid their other achievements this season has to be commended. Their academy graduates all stepped up to the plate but it has felt like he has worked miracles to even still be in the mix with City and Arsenal and if he manages to sign off with a second league title, then it could go down as perhaps his greatest achievement in management outside of their European comebacks.