Here are your Premier League headlines on Thursday, April 14.
Klopp bemoans fixture schedule
Leeds United have had to deal with some tight turnarounds this season. The Whites were forced to play against Liverpool on a Wednesday night, before facing Tottenham Hotspur in the early Saturday kick-off.
However, Jurgen Klopp has become the latest manager to complain about their fixture schedule. As things stand, the Reds are due to travel to Newcastle United on April 30th, just three days after the first leg of their European semi-final against Villareal.
READ MORE: Best and worse case scenarios for Leeds United as they sit out Easter weekend fixtures
Liverpool will then travel to Spain the following week for the second-leg but Klopp believes the way the fixture list piles up is unfair. He's called for the broadcaster and Premier League to change the kick-off to allow his side the best possible change at completing a historic quadruple.
Klopp told The Athletic: "If you want to cause us problems you send us to 12.30 at Newcastle. I don’t understand it. I can understand that people want to see a football match between Liverpool and Newcastle but I don’t see why any team should have an advantage or a disadvantage.
"The league and the broadcaster really have to try at least to help. We will see. I haven’t heard anything yet. Nobody from BT contacted me yet. But I’d say common sense would tell you that it's probably the right thing to do to move the game slightly backwards."
Guardiola on Man City injuries
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted his side are in "big trouble" after suffering a double injury blow in their Champions League quarter-final win tie against Atletico Madrid. Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker were taken off with injuries and are both doubts for the FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool.
De Bruyne appeared to walk off somewhat gingerly after sustaining what appeared to be a muscular injury after chasing the ball down. Moments later, Kyle Walker landed heavily on his ankle and – despite his attempts to carry on – could not continue. There is no natural replacement for the England international in City’s squad.
This is the start of a run which could encompass a total of 12 matches in the space of six weeks, with a potential FA Cup final thrown in alongside seven more rounds of Premier League action and the Champions League semi-finals and, possibly, the final. Guardiola’s side could yet win a treble this season but their lead at the top of the Premier League is a solitary point and the next month-and-a-half will define their entire season.
When asked about the injuries after the match, Guardiola responded: "We are in big trouble. We played three days ago against a tough Liverpool, travel, come here and have a lot of injuries right now. I’m not sure what will happen in the next weeks but, yeah we will celebrate at home. It’s the third time in Man City history that we are in semi-finals of the Champions League. For us, it’s a big success and we are happy to be there."
Conte provides Doherty update
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has confirmed that Matt Doherty is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against Aston Villa on Saturday. The right-back was on the end of a forceful tackle from Matty Cash in the first half of the 4-0 victory and will not play a part in the remainder of the campaign.
The Republic of Ireland international had underwhelmed for much of his time at Tottenham but had hit an impressive patch of form under Conte's stewardship. In his last six Premier League appearances prior to the trip to Villa Park, the 30-year-old had scored twice and assisted three more goals, helping Spurs leapfrog Arsenal into the top four.
However, they will have to make do without him for the remainder of the campaign. Reports had circulated following the clash with Villa that he could well miss the rest of the season, and that has now been confirmed to be the case.
Asked at his pre-match press conference whether Doherty would need surgery, Conte responded: "No. I think the first visit with the doctor said he can recover without surgery. His type of situation, different opinions and make the best decision.
But the news of how long he is expected to miss was more concerning. "Seven - eight weeks before he recovers," Conte added. "For this reason, his season has finished. it is a pity as Doherty was an important player for us."
