Liverpool’s Premier League match against Manchester City has been moved to Saturday, November 25, at 12:30 p.m. This is the third time in a row this season that the Reds have had to play the early kick-off following the international break. The game was originally scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at Etihad Stadium, but a local safety advisory group objected to the time, so Greater Manchester Police asked for a change.
The Saturday 12:30 p.m. kickoff time is not unique to this season; it has been in place for the majority of Klopp’s tenure as manager. In fact, Paul Joyce noted that since Jurgen Klopp took over in 2015, Liverpool has played the early kickoff straight after an international break an astounding 14 times. In comparison, Tottenham Hotspur, which is second on this list with only six points, has more than twice as many points. Liverpool’s performance in these early games has been particularly inconsistent. The Reds won four games but lost three during the 2015/16 campaign, and things got worse the following year. In eight early Saturday kickoffs during the 2017/18 season, Liverpool only managed one victory.
The Reds won all four during the 2021/2022 season, which stands out as an anomaly. They did, however, struggle once more during the most recent season. These early kick-offs leave very little time for recovery because international players frequently travel across the world, especially key players like Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diáz, and Darwin Nunéz who are going to South America.
