January is getting closer and Jurgen Klopp feels the heat already. Unlike last season, Liverpool boss is much happier this time around. There are no major injuries in his squad and the Reds are the only undefeated team in the Premier League. His forward, Mohamed Salah is currently the best player in the world, if you look at his form since August. Yet, in January, the African Cup of Nations will start, and Salah, along with Sadio Mane and Naby Keita will be gone. What’s even worse, their national teams Egypt and Senegal are among favorites, while Keita’s Guinea can also surprise. Jurgen Klopp is facing a potential 41 days without his best players. So far, Salah has scored 12 goals and assisted for 4 more, while Mane is the second scorer with 5 goals. EPL top four race heats up this weekendWith this potential crisis, which can last up to eight matches, Liverpool have decided to do everything in their power to keep their stars at Enfield as long as possible. From December to February 5th, Liverpool will play against Leicester and Chelsea away, then they have two Carabao Cup Semi final legs, third round of the FA Cup and then face Brentford and Crystal Palace, before playing fourth round FA Cup tie. Under the current FIFA rules, qualifying countries can ask for their players to be released on December 27, following their Premier League Boxing Day fixtures.(3.10) MANCHESTER UNITED (3.50) LIVERPOOL (2.40)But the Reds boss has a good relationship with all three national teams and is hoping talks over the November international break will persuade the countries to release their players in January instead, according to The Mirror. What the German is hoping for (apart from rooting for all those countries to crash out of the competition as soon as possible) is that those three national associations will allow Liverpool players to come late to the AFCON. Klopp is keen to have a full squad for Leicester and Chelsea, and then to let those three players. If he succeeds, Salah, Mane and Keita will arrive in Cameroon 6 days before the opening ceremony on January 9th, when the hosts will play against Burkina Faso. The next day, Sadio Mane will play his match against Keita’s Guinea, while Salah will have two more days to prepare for the derby match against Nigeria. ‘Klopp was watching United last night and rubbed his hands’Speaking about the timing of AFCON in January 2020, Klopp said:“I like the competition… but the African Cup of Nations going back to January is, for us, a catastrophe. On top of that we have absolutely no power so if we did say, ‘We don’t let him go’, the player is suspended. How is that possible that the company who pays the player cannot decide that the player has to stay or not?” said the German at the time.Now he has to rely on the good will of Egypt, Senegal and Guinea national associations.
