Jamie Carragher has questioned Jurgen Klopp’s decision to play Diogo Jota in a dead rubber game, claiming it has impacted on Liverpool’s season.
The Reds were beaten 1-0 by Burnley at Anfield on Thursday evening, following a horribly flat performance.
It means Liverpool’s awful run of form continues, with no Premier League win since December 19th.
Klopp has had rotten luck with injuries this season, but one that was solely down to him was the one Jota suffered against Midtjylland in early December, in a game that meant nothing.
Speaking on Sky Sports [via Rousing The Kop], Carragher criticised Klopp for risking the Portuguese in that match:
I think Diogo Jota has been a huge miss for Liverpool.
You look at the manager and the team he picks at certain times. The fact he [Jota] played in a dead-rubber in the Champions League and there is frustration he got injured in that game.
Liverpool wrapped the Champions League up early and then lose one of their key players in a game that didn’t matter too much.
Read Liverpool Verdict
Carragher is absolutely right, with Klopp’s decision to play Jota making absolutely no sense.
It was a perfect opportunity to rest the 24-year-old, who had scored nine goals in 17 appearances and was on fire, but instead he played him in a meaningless Champions League clash.
Klopp has every right to make excuses about the injuries to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Thiago, among others, but Jota’s absence is all on him.
It was so avoidable, and with the front-three struggling badly at the moment, having him available would make such a difference.
