Jurgen Klopp Says He Will Continue Rotation Policy After Manchester United Win

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he will continue his policy of rotating his squad because it's keeping his team sharp.

The Reds continued their remarkable 2018-19 term on Sunday as they breezed to a 3-1 win over a hapless Manchester United in the Premier League.

When asked about the performance of midfielder Fabinho, who was named as the Liverpool man of the match, Klopp was quick to emphasise the importance of the entire squad, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal:

"[Fabinho] was outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. But I don't like these questions, the thing I don't hear is that it says something about other players as well. I know you don't mean it like this.

"On Tuesday, we played against Napoli one of the best games of the season, an outstandingly strong opponent, we played with [James] Milner, [Jordan] Henderson and [Georginio] Wijnaldum in midfield.

"That's what I said. It's the heart and soul of the game we need. And as long as we can make these changes, we will make these changes. That's how it is. They have fresh legs and are fresh in the mind. Always they go for it."

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

After the game, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho commented on the condition of the Liverpool team, especially left-back Andy Robertson:

There's no doubt that Liverpool were far fresher than their opponents on Sunday, and their vibrant and inventive attacking play was the antithesis of the tepid football played by the visitors.

Having spent big on the likes of Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita and Fabinho this year, Klopp has depth at his disposal that allows him to rotate. It also means those players who are introduced to the game from the bench are in the right condition to make an impression.

On Sunday, that man was Xherdan Shaqiri, as his two deflected goals were enough to see Liverpool to a crucial win.

Roger Bennett from the Men In Blazers podcast praised the work Liverpool and Klopp have done to get the best out of the Switzerland international:

What Klopp's rotation policy has also done is allowed all members of the first-team squad to make a contribution to the cause in what is shaping up to be a memorable campaign.

From an attacking perspective, they were all able to make an impact against their sub-par rivals on Sunday:

With the Christmas period to come, the Liverpool boss will need to continue rotating, and the fact he's made tweaks throughout the campaign to this point will ensure none of the players coming into the side will do so cold. It gives the Reds squad a battle-hardened look as they go into this crucial part of the campaign.

While many still consider Manchester City favourites for the title—they trail leaders Liverpool by a point—the signs are the Reds are not going anywhere.