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2023/24 Season

Frosty Jack

By Frosty Jack
in Liverpool FC

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Big Red Machine
Big Red Machine

Saw a tweet calling it Kidstanbul.  Love it. 

Conrad
Conrad

I can’t stand drury. think Tyler is by far the better commentator. 

Flasher
Flasher

Was this meant to be written in your diary?

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kop205

kop205

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Dan said:

FA Cup is sh*te now anyway.

It was boss when we won it two years ago.

One of my favourite days.

50 minutes ago, D.Boon said:

Just imagine how good we'll be when Nunez goes on a mad scoring run as well.

I hope this post isn't being repeated four years hence

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Ombudsam

Ombudsam

Posted
Posted

What are this lot gonna do in these next two away games. Could be anything with this lot.

I remember when we were the first team to beat that 100 point City team in that mad 4-3.

Lost to Swansea who ended up getting relegated in the next game.

So much of that energy. But having said that. The points and league position is stronger than that so roll with it.

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honourablegeorge

honourablegeorge

Posted
Posted

Liverpool’s leadership secrets: Mayfair night out, matchday ‘calm’ and headphones for staff

By James Pearce

Nov 22, 2023

There’s a motivational message next to the door of the boot room at the AXA Training Centre, which reads: “Standards are set by the ones who need to live them.”

It was placed there by Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders at the start of this season to act as a reminder for the players every time they walk out onto the training field.

After a summer of upheaval when long-serving captain Jordan Henderson and vice-captain James Milner both departed, Jurgen Klopp and his staff knew the importance of others stepping up to fill the void.

They didn’t want to lose the culture of responsibility in the dressing room, which they felt had been so key to the success they had previously enjoyed with Henderson and Milner as the two most dominant personalities.

The signs so far are highly promising, with Liverpool’s revamped leadership group embracing their additional duties and setting an example for others to follow. New voices are making themselves heard.

At its heart is Virgil van Dijk, who was appointed Henderson’s successor during July’s pre-season tour of Singapore, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was given the vice-captaincy. The five-strong group is completed by left-back Andy Robertson, goalkeeper Alisson, and forward Mohamed Salah.

Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are key members of the Liverpool leadership group (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Lijnders liaises with them on everything from the upcoming training schedule to travel arrangements for away trips and what clothing needs to be worn. Their input is sought and relayed to Klopp when necessary before final decisions are made.

Apart from the day before a match when the timing of the session more closely mirrors the upcoming kick-off time, training is held at noon.

The feeling is that has a positive impact on players’ personal lives as they’re able to have breakfast at home or do the school run before reporting to Kirkby. Most arrive at around 10am and head for either the gym or the physio room. After training, they then have lunch together before leaving to spend time with their families later in the afternoon. Before midway through the 2021-22 season, training was at 4pm each day and players rarely returned home before 8pm.

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Klopp and Lijnders talk about the need for the squad to be largely “autonomous” rather than players relying on staff to keep banging the drum over maintaining standards. They want it to come from within.

Milner, who used to stand by the clock in the boot room before training to ensure any latecomers were suitably punished, would impose fines for everything from poor timekeeping to wearing the wrong clothing.

Now it is more of a collective approach from the leadership group when it comes to discipline, with the funds collected and used to pay for team bonding occasions.

Pep Lijnders is the go-between for Liverpool’s squad and manager Jurgen Klopp (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold organised a night out for the players in London after the controversial defeat to Tottenham in late September. They went to Novikov, a plush restaurant/bar in Mayfair, with only Cody Gakpo unable to attend as the knee injury he suffered in that game necessitated he travel back to Merseyside straight after the game with staff.

The agreement is that any issues that arise should primarily be resolved by the players themselves. If that is not possible, Lijnders steps in, with Klopp the last port of call so he can focus on what really matters. Few problems ever reach the manager’s door.

Van Dijk was always the obvious candidate to inherit the armband from Henderson given he is the Netherlands captain and was previously third in command at Liverpool and had deputised on plenty of occasions.

However, how he has thrown himself into the role and put his stamp on it has exceeded even the staff’s expectations.

He decided to introduce a pre-game huddle this season shortly before kick-off to provide some final orders and showcase their togetherness.

That unity and spirit have been fostered by his conduct around the training ground – going out of his way to ensure last summer’s new arrivals feel welcome and settled, whether it is providing advice on where to live, where to eat or what schools to send their kids to.

When fellow Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch arrived at Kirkby on deadline day, it meant a lot to him that Van Dijk was waiting to greet him.

Virgil van Dijk welcomed Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The 32-year-old has always been an engaging, popular character, but he has become more self-assured and more available to those around him.

Van Dijk, who shares a close bond with Klopp, feels responsible for this group and has been energised by the injection of new talent last summer. His view is that the closer they are as a unit, the more they are likely to achieve.

A good example came in the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Bournemouth earlier this month. Van Dijk was not selected as part of Klopp’s squad, but he insisted on travelling to show his support for a much-changed line-up, braving the monsoon conditions to single out young centre-back Jarell Quansah after the final whistle and congratulate him on his gutsy performance.

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The Van Dijk Paradox: A Liverpool legend, divisive in the Netherlands

Van Dijk and his wife Rike organised a Halloween party for all the families of players and staff, which was due to take place following the home clash with Nottingham Forest last month. However, it was cancelled at short notice out of respect for Luis Diaz after the kidnapping of his father in Colombia.

The backroom staff recently arrived at Kirkby to find that Van Dijk had left each of them a box containing headphones and speakers from U.S. audio brand JBL – one of his sponsors – as a gesture of thanks for their efforts during such an intense period.

His double act with Alexander-Arnold is also working well. The vice-captaincy was the natural next step for the academy graduate, who has long since had his sights set on leading his boyhood club. Succession planning is already in place.

Alexander-Arnold was close with Milner and learned much from serving an apprenticeship under him. At the age of 25 and closing in on 300 appearances, the England international now finds himself looking out for the youngsters hoping to follow in his footsteps.

New vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold learned much from James Milner (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

For the likes of Trey Nyoni, Luke Chambers, Calum Scanlon and James McConnell, Alexander-Arnold is a source of both help and inspiration. He has told them he is always there for them. They are getting an education in the mentality that is required if they are going to make the grade.

Alexander-Arnold has taken it upon himself to spend more time with team-mates away from the training field. He makes a point of having lunch in the canteen with different players each day and a good friendship has developed with Dominik Szoboszlai. When the Hungarian was disappointed not to start the Carabao Cup tie with Leicester City, he explained to him about the need to rotate to avoid injuries and keep players fresh as Liverpool look to maintain a challenge on all fronts.

Naturally, the South American contingent will gravitate towards each other, with Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez particularly close, but Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have made it their mission to ensure the dressing room is fully integrated with no cliques.

There is a different brand of leadership now compared to the previous regime. The dressing room is a calmer place approaching kick-off on matchdays, but what gets said resonates.

The input of Robertson, Alisson and Salah is also highly regarded by Klopp and the manager sees the quintet as providing a good mix of personalities. Robertson (Scotland) and Salah (Egypt) both lead their countries, while Alisson picks his moments, but when he speaks, he does so with authority.

Promoting Salah to the leadership group in July has paid off, with the striker having long craved more responsibility. Captaining Liverpool from the start of a game for the first time in the Carabao Cup tie at Bournemouth was a source of great personal pride and he is viewed as an advert for the youngsters coming through about how to lead their lives in terms of diet, gym regime, work ethic and humility.

It is also seen as a real benefit that all five members of the leadership group are guaranteed starters when Liverpool are fielding their strongest available line-up. That wasn’t the case last season when Henderson and Milner made 45 substitute appearances between them.

New leaders have emerged to help ensure that the standards are still set by the ones who need to live them.

Additional reporting: Simon Hughes

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DanWM

DanWM

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, honourablegeorge said:

There’s a motivational message next to the door of the boot room at the AXA Training Centre, which reads: “Standards are set by the ones who need to live them.”

It was placed there by Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders at the start of this season to act as a reminder for the players every time they walk out onto the training field.

Is it just me who thinks they could have gone with something a bit snappier?

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