Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes too much demand is placed on international stars who have had barely any rest following the World Cup.
Klopp's men play away on Saturday against Tottenham who had nine players involved on the final weekend of the World Cup, less than a month before the start of their Premier League campaign.
The likes of England captain Harry Kane, midfielder Dele Alli and victorious French skipper Hugo Lloris were thrown straight back into action by Mauricio Pochettino. But Alli and Lloris are now sidelined by injury, while Kane has looked jaded in the opening weeks of the season.
"A good pre-season should be at least three or four weeks," said Klopp. "That is how it is, the body needs the time only to calm down from an intense season - they didn't have it.
"We ask too much from the players, we constantly want them ready and if they are not we are not happy. It is a weird situation.
"Now with the Nations League, international managers cannot rest players because it is a proper competition. It is a constant challenge for all of us."
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