Critchley says Klopp has option to intervene in Anfield dressing room

Neil Critchley says Jurgen Klopp has the option to watch Tuesday’s FA Cup replay live and can call into the dressing room at Anfield.

Under-23s boss Critchley will take charge of tonight’s game with Shrewsbury and will field largely an under-20 side with Liverpool’s first-team squad on their winter break.

The game is not being shown live in the UK on Tuesday night, but Klopp will be able to watch live on his club laptop and could repeat the call he made to Critchley and his squad in the December defeat at Aston Villa.

Critchley was also in charge of the League Cup game which ended in an undeserved 5-0 defeat and he says Klopp’s call of reassurance calmed their nerves.

“It was brilliant,” said Critchley.

“Even though we were going off the pitch at half-time thinking, ‘We’ve played all right there but we’re getting beat 4-0’, it creates that element of doubt in your mind about whether you are doing the right thing and if you need to do something different.

“So when you get a message from the manager saying, ‘Don’t change anything, carry on doing what you’re doing, you’ve been brilliant’, it just clears all that doubt in your mind and you can give that message to the players.

“The message killed every doubt, it settled them right down. It helped everyone at that moment.

“That option is available on Tuesday, but that’s up to the manager.”

Klopp immediately confirmed after the 2-2 draw at the Montgomery Waters Meadow on 26 January, that he would not be fielding any senior players and in fact would honour a letter from the Premier League sent in April 2019 which asked them to respect the winter break.

Many critics felt Klopp should be there on the night but his stand-in does believe it makes a difference.

“He gives myself, the staff and players unbelievable support so I can speak to him whenever I like when I’m down here,” said Critchley.

“He supports the young players unbelievably well, as he has shown so far this season so his presence, even if he isn’t there, is always felt by our younger players and by myself.

“I also think maybe one per cent that came into his thinking with his decision was the way we played against Aston Villa, he maybe thought the boys deserved another opportunity.”

READ MORE: Football Association make statement after Klopp drops FA Cup bombshell