Cup final penalty success... ‘It’s all about the science,’ says Liverpool boss Klopp
JURGEN Klopp has revealed the secret to Liverpool’s penalty shootout success as neuroscience.
Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties to lift the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday, defeating the Blues for the second time this season in a cup final shoot-out.
The Reds toppled Chelsea 11-10 in February’s Carabao Cup final, with Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher rifling home the winning spot-kick in a stunning set of penalties.
Kostas Tsimikas slotted the sudden-death winner this time around as Liverpool completed the set of top titles under Klopp.
And the Reds’ German manager paid tribute to footballing neuroscientists Neuro11 as the secret weapon behind his side’s penalty acumen.
“In the end we all know a penalty shoot-out is a lottery, that’s how it is; but we did it again,” said Klopp. “We work together with the company Neuro11, four guys from Germany.
“They got in contact with us a few years ago. They are neuroscientists and they said ‘we can train penalty shooting’.
“We said ‘really? That sounds interesting, come over’. And so this trophy is for them, just like the Carabao Cup was.”
Liverpool kept their remarkable drive for an unprecedented quadruple alive by powering through the penalty shoot-out after another goalless draw in a domestic final against Chelsea.
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk came off with injuries, but both Reds stars appear to have avoided serious problems.
Klopp insisted that the clean sweep of League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League remains as much on as off, mainly due to Manchester City’s league dominance.
Pep Guardiola’s City lead Liverpool by four points in the league after their 2-2 draw at West Ham yesterday.
“The quadruple is on if you want but it is off as well because of the situation,” said Klopp.
“But winning both domestic cups is really special. Trent Alexander-arnold is the youngest player to have won all six major trophies at 23.
“It’s absolutely outstanding that we can even talk about the quadruple. It’s crazy.
“We have no clue at this moment what the line-up will be at Southampton on Tuesday.
“I know that my team knows exactly what I think about them, that’s most important.
“This is again a trophy for the whole club.
“When we came on the bus we could see what it means to the people, then on the pitch you could see what it means to the players.
“That we could make it is absolutely out of this world, it’s massive.
“All respect to Chelsea, what a team, what a performance.”