Liverpool FC's Jamie Carragher slams Premier League after defeat at Atletico Madrid

23 April 2010 07:00
Jamie Carragher 300[LNB]JAMIE CARRAGHER today took a pot shot at the Premier League for the punishing schedule he believes could have jeopardised Liverpool's hopes of reaching the Europa League final.[LNB]If the Reds are going to secure a trip to Hamburg on May 12, they are going to have to repeat what they did in 1966, 1978 and 2007 by coming back from a 1-0 first leg deficit against Atletico Madrid.[LNB]There had been fears beforehand that the two-day trip it took to get the squad to the Spanish capital would prove their undoing but Carragher insists that was not the case.[LNB]He was more disappointed by the fact Liverpool - for the third time in the last seven weeks - were forced to play 72 hours before a Europa League game.[LNB]'The worst thing for us was playing on Monday night,' said Carragher. 'You hear all about the Premier League wanting English clubs to do well in Europe.[LNB]'Well, we've just played Monday and Thursday. When Inter Milan are in the Champions League, they play on a Friday night; their league does everything to help them.[LNB]'Playing on Monday night was a joke. That was more of a thing than all the travelling we did, which, really, wasn't that bad at all.'[LNB]Despite a below par showing, only Diego Forlan's eighth minute goal separates the sides but Carragher has warned it is not simply a case of turning up at Anfield and waltzing past Atletico.

Source: Liverpool_Echo