Brendan Rodgers blames tiredness for Liverpool’s display against Blackburn
|
Version 0 of 1. After watching his Liverpool side held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers to set up an FA Cup replay on either 7 or 8 April, Brendan Rodgers branded the scheduling of the Reading-Bradford quarter-final replay next Monday as “unbelievable”. Liverpool are unable to face Rovers at Ewood Park next week as there are Champions League last-16 games taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday and Rodgers’ team will be at Swansea City for a televised match on the Monday evening. This contrasts with Reading and Bradford, who are each due to play on Saturday, meaning their replay will be a second match in 48 hours. Rodgers said: “I believe [our match] is early April, the 7th or 8th. It is certainly not what it is for Reading and Bradford. That is unbelievable. Related: Liverpool 0-0 Blackburn Rovers | FA Cup sixth round match report “I feel for them, having to play Saturday and again on Monday. It is incredible. It is unfair for both clubs with so much at stake. I feel sorry for Phil Parkinson [Bradford’s manager] and for Steve Clarke [his Reading counterpart] and for the players.” Martin Skrtel was carried off on a stretcher in the third minute following a coming-together with Rudy Gestede that ended with the Liverpool defender landing awkwardly on his head. Skrtel was taken to hospital but the manager said this was a precautionary move. “He is fine but he will go to the local hospital to make sure,” Rodgers said. “If he had his choice he wouldn’t but we have to follow procedure. He was fine, up walking and talking after the game.” Rodgers put Liverpool’s lacklustre display down to tiredness. “The last three months we have been in outstanding form but that is natural. The physical and mental energy we put into games is at such a high level. We just lacked that bit of sharpness physically. You want to try to grind your way through the game. We did that. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the result. “There is a physical energy in how we play and it is natural sometimes there will be a little bit of cost and that affected the speed of our play. Give Blackburn credit, they defended in a low block really well and put their bodies on the line and made it really difficult for us.” Gary Bowyer was proud of the effort from his Championship team and warned Liverpool that the surface may be more rudimentary when the sides meet again. “Our players were pleasantly delighted to see so much grass on the pitch at Anfield,” the Rovers manager said. “At Ewood it is not like that. Brendan was complaining about the pitch here. Wait until he sees Ewood.Full credit to the players, they were magnificent and restored a bit more pride [and] you always want a clean sheet.” Rodgers added that Steven Gerrard will be available again following injury for the trip to Swansea. |