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The Reds have been making ready for the brand new season in Austria and France, the place Jurgen Klopp has been delighted by what he has seen from his gamers
Naby Keita thought he may get away with it, however Sadio Mane had different concepts.
It was the tip of one other gruelling Liverpool coaching session, and Jurgen Klopp had some information.
“We’ve had a take a look at the video…” the Reds boss started. Earlier than he may end, Virgil van Dijk dropped to the ground. Twenty press-ups.
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He knew.
Keita knew, too, although tried to cover himself away behind Klopp, just for Mane to ruthlessly expose his plan.
Cue a lot laughter and, sure, 20 press-ups for the Guinea midfielder, a part of a four-man staff that had been caught bending the principles in an train earlier within the session.
“Now we have VAR today, even in coaching!” grinned assistant supervisor Pep Lijnders.
It has been a gruelling few weeks for Liverpool’s gamers and workers. Pre-season is meant to be robust, however this has been a singular summer season for Klopp and his staff.
By the point they return to Merseyside subsequent weekend, most may have been away from dwelling for 4 weeks. They are going to have skilled twice or 3 times a day for essentially the most half; pushed to their limits within the Austrian hills and the French warmth.
“Anfield is asking!” Klopp stated following Thursday’s pleasant defeat to Hertha Berlin. He was referring to the forthcoming video games with Athletic Bilbao (August 8) and Osasuna (August 9). 5 days later, Liverpool get their Premier League marketing campaign up and operating, away to newly-promoted Norwich.
They are going to, Klopp hopes, be in supreme form by then. On Saturday, his squad moved from their picturesque base in Tirol, Austria, to a brand new, acquainted one within the French city of Evian-les-Bains, on the banks of Lake Geneva.
They’ve been there earlier than, in each 2018 and 2019. “My time,” Klopp referred to as it then. Time to shut the doorways and work on key tactical concepts for the season, away from the prying eyes of followers and media.
This time round, Liverpool will play two 60-minute friendlies towards Serie A facet Bologna, by which era Klopp ought to have his full squad collectively once more. Captain Jordan Henderson, and the Brazilian trio of Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, are the final to return from their summer season breaks.
The remaining are properly into the swing of issues. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and new signing Ibrahima Konate have been there because the squad reported on July 12 whereas others – Andy Robertson, Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara – joined up quickly after.
There has additionally, after all, been essentially the most welcome sight of Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip coming back from long-term damage, and of children corresponding to Harvey Elliott and Kaide Gordon staking their claims for first-team involvement, both now or within the not-too-distant future.
Pre-season has, in line with Lijnders, been break up into three phases. The primary, naturally, was about constructing health, with the second about consistency and reinforcing the staff’s core philosophy – a dedication to counter-pressing, quick transitions and the creation of overloads in vast areas.
The third, which can happen in France this week and again at Kirkby subsequent, is about fine-tuning, honing and bettering by intense repetition. “A staff should all the time be evolving,” Lijnders says. The Dutchman’s coaching drills are constructed with that concept in thoughts.
For somebody like Konate, the brand new £36 million ($49m) buy from Leipzig, it has been a difficult begin. The France U21 defender has already found simply how match this Liverpool squad is, courtesy of a gruelling health session in Tirol which concerned six 1,000-metre runs, in teams of 4, with one minute’s relaxation in between.
“This was a welcome for Ibou to the actual LFC pre-season!” Lijnders stated. James Milner, as ever, led the best way, although the sight of Divock Origi, Curtis Jones and teen Jake Cain conserving tempo with Liverpool’s very personal ‘marathon man’ was, sources say, one to behold.
“Come on, give me some extra!” Milner demanded as they approached the tip of their fifth kilometre. Their break up got here in at round three minutes and 5 seconds – a frankly ridiculous tempo.
“Jurgen even had the thought to spice it up with a penalty problem after the fifth 1,000m,” Lijnders revealed. “The concept was if you happen to shoot and miss it’s a must to do 2×1,000 additional, however if you happen to rating it’s executed, and if you happen to don’t take the prospect, it’s a must to do solely 1×1,000 extra.
“Sadio, Trent, Milner and Neco [Williams] missed, however all people took the prospect. Then, you noticed some staff gamers; Ox instantly ran with Trent; Mo went to assist Sadio; Robbo and Diogo went with Neco. This stuff make us coaches smile.”
It’s that staff spirit, that sense of togetherness, which has underpinned a lot of Liverpool’s success beneath Klopp, and it has definitely been evident all through this pre-season, each on and off the pitch.
Boredom is all the time a threat when a squad is away from dwelling for thus lengthy, however Liverpool’s backroom staff have labored wonders in guaranteeing gamers have had issues to do throughout their downtime. We had been handled to a ten-pin bowling contest between Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip, which Van Dijk gained at a canter, whereas Milner, by all accounts, made full use of the golf simulator on the Tirol base.
A staff quiz in Salzburg ended with the dropping group, which included Gomez, Lijnders, Gordon and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, performing a dance for the remainder of the squad.
“I believe solely Ox loved it!’ laughed Klopp, who was completely satisfied for the presence of younger goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, head of press Matt McCann and the membership’s managing director, Billy Hogan, in his staff.
Hogan has been one in all a number of guests to the camp, his presence proof of the membership’s ‘prime to backside’ togetherness.
There have been drop-ins from throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark, who gave a presentation to the gamers throughout week one, and from Christopher Rohrbeck, the membership’s former physio who now works at Mainz, whereas the legendary Yaya Toure was a shock visitor at a coaching session in Saafenden throughout week two.
The previous Manchester Metropolis midfielder, now the assistant coach of Russian membership Akhmat Grozny, was invited by Mane, and was pictured wanting delighted alongside the likes of Klopp, Van Dijk and Salah. The very fact he was sporting a pair of Liverpool shorts, naturally, went down properly with followers on social media.
Liverpool’s personal social media protection has been excellent, providing supporters an actual perception. They will see new friendships blossoming – Salah and Elliott, for instance, have bonded, whereas Greek full-back Kostas Tsimikas is quick changing into one of many loudest voices within the squad.
The brotherhood of Van Dijk and Gomez, in the meantime, has been there for all to see, whether or not ten-pin bowling, pushing one another exhausting within the fitness center, making their comeback collectively towards Hertha final week or discovering time to compensate for Love Island every night. There actually isn’t any accounting for style, is there?!
The Olympics have supplied a welcome distraction, and loads of dialogue factors, on-line chess has confirmed a giant hit, whereas the staff table-tennis tournaments have reached new ranges of competitiveness. Salah, Van Dijk and younger midfielder Leighton Clarkson are the celebs there, although the Scouse showdown between Jones and Alexander-Arnold is claimed to be the actual box-office conflict.
“Rhys [Williams] says Trent ought to put on a GPS when he performs as a result of Curtis has him operating like loopy!” laughs Lijnders, who says he and Klopp can be taking over Salah and Mane in a paddle tennis match in Evian.
The ultimate night time in Austria introduced a karaoke session at which Takumi Minamino’s singing and Billy Koumetio’s dancing had been the standouts. “Wow, it was fascinating!” Lijnders stated.
On the pitch, the star of coaching has been Matip, who seems to be sharp following his return from an ankle damage. Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to be lean, match and hungry, Elliott appears to have benefited enormously from his spell at Blackburn and Milner, at 35, continues to set the very best of requirements.
Younger keepers Kelleher and Harvey Davies have earned glowing reward from Klopp, as has Clarkson, who seems to be prepared for first-team soccer, in all probability on mortgage, this season.
The sight of Van Dijk and Gomez again brings reassurance heading into the brand new marketing campaign, even when they’ve a strategy to go to regain full sharpness, whereas the presence of Salah, Mane and Alexander-Arnold, who this week signed a brand new long-term contract, for the whole lot of pre-season shouldn’t be underestimated.
These gamers, together with the likes of Milner, Matip, Konate and Jones, needs to be at optimum stage by the point the Norwich recreation rolls round. The remaining gained’t be far behind both.
The message is obvious; after the assessments and the struggles of final season, Liverpool are prepared for this one.
As summers go, this has been one to this point.
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