BACK TO SCHOOL
…how Klopp gets his side up to speed for title tilt
JURGEN KLOPP was delighted to be reunited with his Liverpool stars for the first time in 68 days as they resumed training in small groups.
“It felt like the first day at school – for me, it was 46 years ago, but it must have been similar,” said the Reds boss. “I dressed myself in my uniform again – and for the right reason, for going to training. I was happy to see the boys.”
JURGEN KLOPP described returning to training with his Liverpool stars yesterday as like being on his first day at school.
The Reds manager was at Melwood as the first team were put through their paces in small groups.
It is the first time the Premier League leaders have been at their training base outside of individual visits since March 13, when football was halted because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“The morning started already really well,” said Klopp. “I woke up even earlier than usual and then I realised it is my first day.
“It felt like the first day at school; for me, it was 46 years ago, but it must have been similar.
“I dressed myself in my uniform again – and for the right reason, for going to training.
“I drove to Melwood and was really happy to see all the boys.”
Liverpool’s first-team stars began arriving before 10am in groups of five staggered throughout the day.
Melwood is operating a oneway system to avoid players coming within two metres of each other in the first phase of the Premier League’s return protocol.
They went through ball drills and runs while the goalkeepers worked in their own group.
Klopp, 52, said: “It’s a pre-season for us.We don’t know how long and we will not have test games or friendlies, not really; maybe we can organise it between us when we are allowed to, but it will not be the same like in other pre-seasons. But, no, it’s a pre-season. Usually our players have two or three weeks’ holiday a year, now they had nine weeks off. It was not a holiday but it was nine weeks off.
“That’s good from one point of view – finally they got a real rest.
“We have to make sure we are as fit as possible for the first match; even for the second; and probably, 100 per cent, for the third. Or whatever, it depends how long we will get.”
Klopp revealed Liverpool’s coaching staff have not ordered the players back and gave them the option to avoid returning to work if they did not feel it was safe.
He said: “It is the players’ choice and that is clear.
“I said before the session, ‘You are here on free will. Usually you sign a contract and you have to be in when I tell you but in this case if you don’t feel safe, you don’t have to be here’.
“There are no restrictions, no punishment, nothing. It’s their own decision and we respect that 100 per cent.
“The boys are fine.We would never put anybody in danger to do what we want to do.
“Yes, we love football, yes, it’s our job, but it’s not more important than our lives or the lives of other people.”
The Premier League are aiming for football to resume on June 12 but that date has not been confirmed with some involved wanting more time for training.
And Klopp admits the uncertainty about when the top tier will restart will make it more difficult to prepare in training.
He added: “From a sports science point of view, it is a challenge to prepare for something when you don’t know when it will happen. “That’s 25, 26 or 28 players when for one moment, you should be ready – but that’s the job to do. It’s how it is.
“I enjoy these problems much more than the problems I had [with training] in the last few weeks, so it’s our job and we will find a solution for that.”
We would never put anybody in danger