‘They play like 5 and 6-year-olds’ – Re-charged Liverpool to carry energy when football returns

Jurgen Klopp has likened his Liverpool players to showing the excitement of “five and six-year-old boys” over a return to football.

The Reds last played competitively 55 days ago on March 11 and were merely six points away from clinching the Premier League title before the pandemic caused all fixtures to be suspended.

Since then, like the rest of the world, the squad have isolated at home and in order to keep fit and firing each player was handed an individual training programme, like they would during the offseason.

And now discussions are picking up as to when the Premier League can safely return, with a date in June widely reported for games, with training to resume later this month – first with individual sessions followed by team training.

Liverpool have been providing a glimpse into how the players are staying active over Zoom, whilst the squad themselves have been ever-present on social media, from Alisson’s novel throwing practice to Jordan Henderson training with a professional cyclist.

And the boss, who is equally “recharged,” can see the eagerness exuding from his team to return to the field of play, but insisted there is still work to be done before games resume.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 1, 2020: Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum (L) and Southampton's James Ward-Prowse during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“The boys have a lot of work to do, physical work because we all expect to go again,” Klopp told Fox Sports, via the Mirror.

“I don’t know exactly when but we have to prepare for that – that is what the boys do.

“When we come back together again, we have to make the best of the situation we have. We don’t know how long we will get to prepare for the games, so in that moment we will just try.

“When we give the boys a challenge to do in their gardens you can see in them they play really like five and six-year-old boys.

“And that is what we will try to transfer onto the pitch then as well.

“There will be busy times coming up – hopefully – but we are prepared for that.

“We are so recharged I can tell you – you can use my energy to light up different cities in my home area! So that’s 100 percent possible and that’s how it is at the moment.”

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 1, 2020: Liverpool's Andy Robertson during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool’s time in lockdown extends beyond maintaining physical fitness as the Reds have also looked to keep mentally sharp through video analysis and the spirits high by showing highlights of recent triumphs.

It’s these “little things” which are keeping Liverpool focused on what lies ahead and what is also keeping them grounded, with the Premier League title next on the to-do list when it is possible to return.

“We have to make sure that we will be physically ready again. Then there is the technical thing and the tactical thing,” he added.

“It is the tactical thing we probably work most on at the moment with a lot of videos we send the boys – we send them videos of what we did well, what we didn’t do well and what we want to do in the future.

“We remind ourselves of things we have achieved in the past and want to achieve in the future.

“There are a lot of things we are really looking forward to do again. It is the little things, you appreciate the little things so much more in this moment, the little things you can do.”

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