As part of their new schedule as champions the Liverpool squad are enjoying another break this week – and for Arne Slot, that meant a trip to Ibiza to party.
Since their status as champions was confirmed, the Reds have barely spent time at the AXA Training Centre as a squad.
Instead, Slot and his staff have granted the players the majority of their time between fixtures off to spend with their families.
This week is much the same, though this time the Liverpool squad have stayed together, heading to Dubai as part of a trip organised between the players.
Little has been shared by the players themselves so far, though Harvey Elliott posted a now-deleted photo of himself and Kostas Tsimikas by the pool on the left-back’s 29th birthday on Monday.
A story shared on Instagram also showed a number of the squad, including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai, lounging on a yacht.
It will serve as an opportunity to bid farewell to those leaving the club this summer, which of course includes Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Despite the furious reception he was given at Anfield on Sunday the departing right-back remains popular among teammates and their time in Dubai will be a positive one.
Meanwhile, Slot flew to Ibiza straight after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal and was given a champion’s welcome at the island’s O Beach club.
In a series of posts on Instagram, the Dutchman could be seen welcomed to the stage with a rendition of Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ while the word ‘CHAMPIONS’ was held up in front of him.
Slot has been joined in Ibiza by his staff including assistant coach John Heitinga, and was greeted at O Beach by the club’s owner, Wayne Lineker.
While it may be an unorthodox way to see through the final weeks of a season that is still ongoing, Slot has clearly decided that the title is already wrapped up and there is little else to play for.
Instead he has taken the chance to reward his players with time away from the pressures of elite-level football – as he did whenever possible while their hunt for silverware was still underway.
It comes after comments from Virgil van Dijk in an interview with GQ in which the captain described a seven-week period spent rehabbing his ACL injury in Dubai in 2020 as “one of the best times of my life.”
“I was with my family, which was so nice,” he explained.
“Seven weeks with them. I never get to do that. It was some of the best family time I’ve ever had.
“And, obviously, no one wants to get a serious knee injury, but that time we had was sort of worth it.”
Liverpool are expected back at the AXA Training Centre towards the end of the week, before a trip to Brighton for an 8pm kickoff on Monday.
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