Liverpool’s players were back in training on Wednesday after enjoying a couple of well-deserved days off following Sunday’s title-clinching victory over Tottenham.
The Reds recorded their 25th victory of the league campaign at Anfield, coming from a goal down to win 5-1 and spark celebrations on Merseyside.
Considering there are still four league games in the season remaining, the partying has been put on hold for a few more weeks, and the players were back at the AXA Training Center fewer than 72 hours on from the win over Spurs to prepare for Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge. Here are seven things we noticed as the Reds got back down to business…
McConnell bright
Liverpool shared a few minutes of footage from a small-sided game which took place at the end of the training session and youngster James McConnell looked really bright.
He drilled home a nice finish into the bottom corner, before dispossessing Wataru Endo with a slide tackle and embarking on a forward run with the ball, taking on two or three players before being put on the deck by a questionable challenge from Kostas Tsimikas (more on him later!).
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Gravenberch loving the weather
It’s been a rare week of warm weather in the north west of England, with temperatures in the mid-20s celsius (that’s mid-70s for our fahrenheit-using readers).
Ryan Gravenberch can’t exactly claim that he is used to much warmer weather, with his two previous clubs having been based in Amsterdam and Munich, but he was clearly happy to feel the heat on Merseyside. “Finally, it’s warm outside,” he said as he emerged for the outdoor part of the session.
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Love for Konate
Ibrahima Konate is clearly a popular member of the squad, and he was all smiles as he messed around with Tsimikas and Andy Robertson in the gym, having been pranked by Mohamed Salah as the pair embraced in the morning.
Konate and Salah shook hands and, by the looks of it, Salah made a point of squeezing the Frenchman’s hand a little harder than he was expecting as the center-back shrieked in shock, prompting plenty of laughter from Liverpool’s No.11.
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Rash Tsimikas
Tsimikas held nothing back during the session — and Arne Slot might have wished he had done considering the Greece international caught a couple of his teammates late during a practice drill.
Tsimikas prompted a “Yes Kostas!” from a coach after sliding in to intercept a pass during a one-touch drill, but later on in the session he caught Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott a little late, leaving both men shaking their ankles out. Add those incidents to the challenge on McConnell from the small-sided game, and it wouldn’t be a surprise were Slot to have had a little word in his ear at the end of the session.
South American darts
Darts fever has gripped the UK over the last couple of years and it appears the sport has also captured the attention of a couple of Liverpool’s South American stars.
Uruguayan Darwin Nunez and Colombian Luis Diaz took each other on before hitting the gym, and Nunez’s grouping looked pretty good — provided he was intending to put the arrows in that area of the board, of course!
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Nyoni and Nunez link up beautifully
Darwin Nunez is expected to be moved on this summer, and one of the main criticisms he has faced during his two years in Liverpool is that he is not a clinical enough finisher when it matters most.
His technical ability has never really been in too much doubt, though, and he produced an impudent dinked finish with the outside of his right boot which went over Alisson’s head into the back of the net; Trey Nyoni provided the assist with a lovely slide rule pass.
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Jota wearing Van Dijk’s bib
In the small-sided game which concluded the session, one of the teams was wearing yellow bibs, all of which were blank apart from one. Diogo Jota, for some reason, was wearing a bib which had the number 4 and the name ‘VIRGIL’ on the back.
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Jota’s team, which did not contain Van Dijk, ended up winning the game, and he proudly held the bib aloft as he and his victorious teammates posed for a picture following the final whistle.
