Jurgen Klopp has revealed that some of Liverpool’s high-fliers have been given time off during the international break.
Players not called up by their countries for the latest round of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers were afforded an impromptu mid-season reprieve by the Reds.
It means the likes of James Milner, Emre Can and Joel Matip will not be required to report back for first-team duty until the end of this week.
Klopp took the decision after Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table for the first time since 2014 with a 6-1 thrashing of Watford.
He said: “I don’t need a break but we won’t have a lot of players here.
“When I came here the players had a few days off. I changed it and said: ‘How can they have three or four days off or something?’
“It was a silly decision. It’s only because I was not used to it. Now we are proper English coaches, we know about the fixtures, the intensity of the next few months.
“Each possibility for a little break, you have to use. That’s what we have to do.
“They still have a programme – to train and stay fit. Not all of them can go wherever they want because if you’re a bit injured you have to be here.
“But a real training session does not make sense with five or six players. A few days off and then we’ll start again.
“We will try to have a game behind closed doors. The result of that won’t be important but it’s an opportunity for us to give players match time.
“From Sunday or Monday onwards, when the international players start to come back, we will prepare for the next game.”