New Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has banned wives and girlfriends from the Reds’ training ground and cut back on the amount of days off the squad are due to have.
On Saturday, Klopp took charge of his first game since his appointment 10 days ago and although the experienced German knows he mustn’t make too many changes too soon he has made small changes to the working environment at Melwood.
The Express‘ Paul Joyce reports that Klopp outlined to his players that Melwood “is the headquarters of football”.
The 48-year-old has outlined that Melwood is a place for work, not families. Joyce explains: “It is not an indictment of what has gone on under previous regimes, merely how Klopp likes to work.
Wives and girlfriends of players were not seen at the training ground of Borussia Dortmund, Klopp’s previous club, and that practice has now been introduced at Melwood to banish any potential distractions.”
“We need to train for as often and for as long as it is possible,” Klopp says.
The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe notes that: “Some Liverpool players have been more guilty than others when inviting their acquaintances to the training facility. There may be rare occasions when this is relaxed rather than serve as an outright ban, but it is evidently an issue that needed addressing.”
Players will no longer automatically get back-to-back days off and will instead have to train more under Klopp.
“A culture of regular, routine days off during the working week is over,” writes Bascombe.
“In the era of Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez a day off was to be earned – a reward for exceptional performances. In those years back-to-back days off were a rarity. Klopp will restore that ethos.”
Under Houllier and Benitez Liverpool won eight trophies – the club have won only three more in the last 25 years, between Graeme Souness, Roy Evans, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers.
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