This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
'Football is Closer to Coming Back', Says Klopp as Liverpool Return to Work ¶
On Wednesday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed optimism about the chances of completing the Premier League season as the champions-elect returned to training in small groups.
According to Klopp, his side were just two wins away from ending a 30-year wait to win the title when the English top-flight was shutdown more than two months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As the Premier League prepares to restart, six positive cases of COVID-19 were detected in the first round of 748 tests of players and staff.
At the start of the outbreak, Klopp accepted that football should be suspended if it would help save even one life.
However, the German believes it is now safe for players to return to phase one of training.
‘I always said we don’t want to rush anything, but I don’t think it is rushed. It is for the first step, for this kind of social distancing training,’ Klopp told the Liverpool website.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder also expressed heartened that just 0.8 percent of the tests carried out by the Premier League resulted in positive cases.
‘A lot of people have been tested and the signs are encouraging,’ said Wilder, whose side are in contention to qualify for European competition for the first time in their history.
However, not all players are on board with the restart plans. Newcastle and England defender Danny Rose argued that players are being treated like ‘guinea pigs or lab rats’.
‘I could be potentially risking my health for people’s entertainment and that’s not something I want to be involved in, if I’m honest,’ said Rose on the Lockdown Tactics podcast.
Watford captain Troy Deeney also expressed concerns, stating that he will not return to training this week over fears he could pass the virus onto his five-month-old son.
