Liverpool earned an impressive draw away at Man City | Football Digest
Liverpool’s new leadership team have reportedly set new dressing room rules in a bid to win over their team-mates. The summer departures of Jordan Henderson and James Milner saw Jurgen Klopp appoint a new group to oversee the dressing room.
Virgil van Dijk was appointed as club captain after Henderson’s controversial exit to Al-Ettifaq. The Dutchman’s promotion saw Trent Alexander-Arnold handed the vice-captaincy.
Henderson and Milner reportedly adopted strict rules during their time as leaders of the Anfield dressing room. Missteps such as poor timekeeping or the use of a mobile phone at the dinner table would result in a fine.
Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are claimed to have introduced a more lenient approach since their appointments as captain and vice-captain, respectively. The defensive duo have reportedly encouraged collective responsibility.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the adapted rules have prompted a more serene culture at the AXA Training Centre. Indeed, a positive start to the Premier League season has helped, but it has supposedly been noted that the players seem more relaxed.
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Van Dijk has also introduced a team huddle before matches. The move is designed to relay a rousing final pep talk to his team-mates, but it has also helped to raise the atmosphere in the moments before kick-off at Anfield.
The report adds that Van Dijk is not a loud captain, constantly bellowing at team-mates off the pitch. Instead, colleagues know when to listen when the Dutchman does indeed issue instructions during training and matches.
Liverpool have enjoyed a positive start to the season, losing only one of their 13 Premier League matches. Klopp might have preferred to have flipped their four draws into victories, but there is a solid foundation to push for the title in the second half of the campaign.
Alexander-Arnold’s thumping equaliser in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City helped prove that the Reds have moved on from last season’s disastrous form. A summer rejuvenation – with several new signings performing well – has seen Klopp successfully overhaul his squad.
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Klopp said that a positional change for Alexander-Arnold was key to securing a point against the reigning champions. “I told the boys at half-time, ‘imagine if we played good!’, how that would look,” the German reflected.
“Because we can do much better, that’s the problem – having good moments but not feeling them, having bad moments and feeling them properly. That opens the game up for the opponent, always. But yes, we had to settle a little bit.
“But putting Trent in a different position defensively, really stepping out in the space where they found Bernardo Silva first half constantly, plus Dom [Szoboszlai] and Mo [Salah] closing that gap better in the second half, gave us much more stability.”
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