GLEN JOHNSON: This week former Liverpool and England footballer Glen Johnson describes what Christmas is like for Premier League players and discusses the imminent appointments of Carlo Ancelotti & Mikel Arteta.
Not sure Klopp would have made League Cup decision
There’s been plenty of attention on Jurgen Klopp’s decision to play a very youthful side in the Carabao Cup and in all honesty, I don’t think he would have made the decision. From a commercial perspective, the club and the board will see the exposure the Club World Cup presents and have clearly prioritised that over the League Cup. They’ve looked at it and decided to go for the bigger trophy, especially as Liverpool are huge in Qatar and the commercial deals that could come off the back of it could be absolutely huge.
I think that’s what the club decided, but if it had been down to Klopp I think he would have broken the squad up slightly as they’ve got the quality to get through in both competitions.
Atlético a tough draw for the Reds
Drawing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League definitely won’t be easy for Liverpool, but at this stage of the competition you’re going to have play the best sides. There might have been slightly weaker teams on paper, however all of those left in the competition are there because they have quality players and can beat anyone on their day. Though it doesn’t look the most favourable of draws for Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City, you can never know how things are going to pan out and it just takes a couple of injuries or a suspension on either side to change things dramatically.
We faced Atletico during my playing days and it’s a fantastic fixture to be part of. The fans make the atmosphere brilliant but at the same time, it can be pretty intimidating, especially if you’re losing. They might not be quite as strong as they were a couple of seasons ago, but they’ve still got some top-class players and a brilliant manager, so Liverpool will need to be at their best to get through.
Busy schedule doesn’t change anything for players
This is obviously one of the busiest times of the year for footballers, with Liverpool having to play nine games in December. Even though you have to play matches more frequently than usual, nothing really changes from a player’s perspective. You might have a few more ice baths and recovery sessions than you do the rest of the year, but on the whole things are pretty much the same. You have just got to keep your fingers crossed that players can cope with the quick turnarounds and avoid injuries because those are often the difference between teams having a successful festive period or not.
With games on Boxing Day, you have to train on Christmas Day which is obviously a bit weird, but it’s part of being a professional footballer and you have to get on with it. If you’ve got young families, it’s quite tricky not being able to spend the day with them. Even once you’re home, you’ve got the game the next day in your mind, so it’s difficult to have a normal Christmas.
We obviously had very strict diets as footballers, but I would always have Christmas dinner! It’s only one day of the year and you want to enjoy the day as much as you can and I couldn’t face the other members of my family stuffing their faces whilst I was eating pasta!
Leicester have to win on Boxing Day
I really think Leicester have to beat Liverpool to have any chance at the title, given the gap between the two already. However, I’m really struggling to see how you stop Liverpool. They just keep winning and getting results when they aren’t playing at their best. It would take a massive drop off in performance and results for them to not win the title from here which just looks so unlikely at the moment. For me, a Liverpool win and it’s the Premier League over.
Some people might think this is a good time to play Liverpool as they’ll have been to Qatar and back, but I don’t even think that will be able to stop them. Leicester have been fantastic so far this season and they’ll need to raise their game beyond what they’ve done to compete with Klopp’s side.
Ancelotti and Arteta
It looks as if Mikel Arteta is going to be the new Arsenal manager which looks a fantastic move for him, though I just wonder if he quite knows what he’s walking into. They need a manager that’s going to go in there and put his own stamp on the team fast as they are so far below the level they should be playing at. I don’t know if Arteta has that in his DNA and it will be interesting to see if he can impose his thoughts and ideas on them.
I actually would have thought a coach like Carlo Ancelotti was the sort of candidate they’d be looking at, but Everton looks to be his destination. If the deal does go through, it’s obviously great business on their part and I’m sure he’ll do a great job.
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