Liverpool 1-4 PSV: Match Review
Liverpool suffered a 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven as pressure continues to mount on head coach Arne Slot.
Jurgen Klinsmann has suggested that the answers to Liverpool’s problems may not solve just on the training pitch - and having a trip to the pub can help.
In their past two games at Anfield, the Reds have conceded a combined 10 goals. After the PSV defeat, Slot insisted that he saw fight from his team but the onus is on the Dutchman to find the solutions.
There is no doubt that the Liverpool boss will aim to remedy the issues on the training ground ahead of Sunday’s huge trip to West Ham United. Klinsmann believes that the Reds need to start becoming more physical before playing ‘wonderful’ football. And the former Germany boss reckons a team bonding session could help build camaraderie.
What’s been said
Klinsmann said on ESPN: “It is a difficult task for any manager when you are in a negative spiral and tasked to turn it around. Do you look deep into your roster, look deep into your individual players and try to figure out why they are not performing at their usual level.
There are different ways. Some coaches do more training on the pitch, maybe they overwork them. Some coaches do less and say: 'Let's go out to the pub, have a couple of beers and get the spirit back!' It's a mental problem, a mental block that leads to the fact they lose the one-v-one battles, they are always a step too late getting into the challenges and are not convinced of finishing things off.
“Maybe they are thinking we overdid it on big transfers in the summer and we have too many so-called future stars on our roster because, at the end of the day, only 11 can play. You have three, four, five, six guys who are used to playing and they are not happy. When things go well, everything is quiet, everyone is all right and nobody says a bad word. But when things go wrong, behind the scenes people talk to each other, players talk to each other and you have to stop the negative spiral. I'm sure he will try to do everything he can to stop it and then you can only come back with wins. They need a far more physical approach then they did recently. They need to fight first then play wonderful football.”
‘Sometimes it’s not double sessions on the training field’
Former Chelsea and Celtic midfielder Craig Burley reckons that trip to the pub could help build rapports in the squad. He said: “I’m being serious now. People might think it was something done 20 or 30 years ago and it certainly was but sometimes it’s more than dragging players on teh training field and slogging them to death. Sometimes it’s as simple as that camaraderie. I know people laugh about it but sometimes players need that.
“There’s a pressure and you need everyone to be together. Sometimes it’s not double sessions on the training field, sometimes it is going for something for a few beers, chilling and chatting about how you’re going to get those relationships again. What they’re doing at the moment is not working and if you don’t have the bonding and camaraderie, you’re screwed from the start.”
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