Klopp has a plan to cut Reds injury list
AFTER three successive draws, Jurgen Klopp’s first victory as Liverpool manager on Wednesday evening was another step in the right direction.
Behind the scenes he has been making his presence felt, taking a keen interest in the work of the medical department as they tackle the club’s crippling injury list.
Muscular tears are the bane of a modern manager’s life and Klopp is determined to change the approach to strength and conditioning programmes for individual players.
His theories gained more credence on Wednesday evening when captain Kolo Toure was substituted just 33 minutes into their Capital One Cup tie against Bournemouth with a hamstring injury to his left leg.
Nine first-team players — Alberto Moreno, Joe Allen, Adam Lallana, Christian Benteke, Dejan Lovren, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Rossiter and Toure — have suffered muscular strains since the start of pre-season.
In addition, Daniel Sturridge is nursing a knee injury that has kept him out of Klopp’s opening four games at Liverpool.
With so many players in the treatment room, Liverpool’s physios have been kept busy. Klopp has been holding regular meetings with the medical staff, discussing their increasing workload at Melwood and outlining his vision for future training methods. Andrew Massey, head of medical services at Liverpool, and Ryland Morgans, who is head of fitness and conditioning, will soon be tweaking the training schedules for each player.
Klopp, along with most managers, believes that muscular injuries, such as hamstring, thigh and calf tears, are preventable under improved, tailored supervision.
He accepts that fractures or breaks to the bone, such as the injuries to captain Jordan Henderson, striker Danny Ings and Joe Gomez, are almost unavoidable in a contact sport.
In time, Klopp intends to change the way Liverpool play, converting them from a team who relied heavily on width to high-intensity football that will be instantly recognised by its short, explosive, linear sprints. It means greater demands are to be placed on the medical, fitness and conditioning teams.
In Klopp they have a manager dedicated to injury prevention rather than cure.
To make the necessary changes, the German will need time and he has already told staff that they will use this season to gradually make subtle alterations. More time will be spent stretching in the half-hour or so that the players spend warming up before they head out for training at Melwood. They will also pay more attention to sprint and recovery work, with more demands placed on shorter bursts of speed in and out of possession.
Next season Klopp wants this team to fly, to be free of the muscular injuries that once disrupted the flow for Brendan Rodgers and have already proved to be a frustration for the new manager in his first few weeks at Anfield.
With up to three games a week for the top clubs in English football, short- term muscular injuries caused by fatigue are common.
In Klopp’s final season at Borussia Dortmund, where more than 100 injuries throughout the season disrupted his team selections, a third were muscular tears.
Nobody can scientifically prove the reason for the injuries, but some will need convincing of Klopp’s methods. His impact is being felt all over Anfield, but in time some of his seemingly unorthodox methods will become standard practice. Klopp is one of the few managers to watch the warm-up before each game, preferring to monitor the attitude and intensity of his players as they are put through the drills before kick-off.
Most coaches use the time to make small talk in corridors or to sit in their office, but the 48-yearold makes mental notes about the body language of his players.
His commitment to players is key and the very deliberate strategy of giving them a high-five or a hug when they are substituted is an appreciation of their efforts.
Keeping them out of the treatment room is his next big task.