Jurgen Klopp forced to axe Liverpool star from squad for Europa League campaign
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp must axe a senior player from his Europa League squad due to UEFA's strict rules.
The Reds, who reached three of the previous six Champions League finals, are the favourites to win this season's Europa League. Klopp's side will face Austrian side LASK, Belgian hopefuls Union Saint-Gilloise and French outfit Toulouse in Group E.
Although Liverpool are expected to do well in Europe, Klopp will not have all of his senior stars at his disposal. That's because he's only allowed to name 17 overseas players in his Europa League squad, one fewer than in the Premier League.
For European competitions, players are classed as List A or List B. There can be up to 25 List A players, but eight of those must be homegrown. If an overseas star is on a club's books for three years between the ages of 15 and 21, they count as homegrown.
To qualify for the List B, a player must be born on or after January 1, 2002. They also need to have been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years - or three years if they've completed a loan spell.
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For example, Liverpool's 20-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga would be classed as a List A player because he spent time on loan at Macclesfield last season and joined in October 2020. UEFA also require clubs to name at least two List A goalkeepers.
Klopp could omit one of Alisson, Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher for the Europa League, as it's unlikely he'll need all three goalkeepers. Alternatively, he could axe an injured star. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate are all nursing complaints.
Klopp can amend his Europa League squad if Liverpool reach the knockout stages of the tournament. All Europa League participants were given a deadline of 11pm on Monday to name their squad for the group stage, with Klopp yet to publicly announce his.
The Reds boss has admitted he's "excited" for his team's Europa League campaign. Liverpool's failure to finish in the top four of the Premier League last season was a big disappointment, but Klopp knows his players need to move on from that.
Jurgen Klopp won't have everyone available for the Europa League (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Who do you think Jurgen Klopp should axe from his squad? Let us know in the comments below!
"Top," Klopp told Liverpool's website when asked for his reaction of the draw. "(I've) never played against one of the teams, which I love and really excited about it.
"(I) can't wait to get started, happy that we don't have to fly too far, to be honest, because (that's) a bit of a concern when you play Thursday and then you come back from wherever in Europe, and there are some distances, I think, especially in the Europa League, which is really tricky. It could be really tricky so there we were a bit lucky.
"But with the teams we have to learn now, obviously. When I saw it I went through the squads directly and tried to figure out a little bit who I know, what I know already, but that's obviously not enough in the moment.
"But we have, what is it? Three weeks? We will be prepared. When we know (who we will play first) then we will prepare that team and then the others."
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