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I'm thinking of writing something about Klopp and training, which would incorporate an explanation of why Klopp and Linders speak so glowingly of Lallana while so many fans hated his guts.
Klopp has created a culture whereby a result at the weekend isn't just attributed to the players who took part in the match, but also to the second 11 whose job it was to mimic the first team's opponents and push them to the very limit of their abilities during the week.
When Klopp meets prospective new players he asks them what they think about training, and if they say they prefer match day, or anything other than a confession that they are an absolute training pervert, he passes them by. It's ALL about training.
Our second 11 aren't judged so much on their ability to come in and replace the 11 first choices, so much as their commitment to making the first 11 feel like match days are almost a step down from what they come up against in preparation, at least in terms of intensity & desire.
Lallana & Milner have clearly been HUGE parts of that. Linders described losing Lallana as losing a great coach. Milner and Lallana have almost been player-coaches, bridging the gap between make room staff and players, ensuring levels of effort and professionalism are maintained.
You can just imagine Klopp telling Milner and Lallana that they are to head up an 11 playing like, say, Southampton will against us, and the two of them taking it more seriously than most pros do a weekend game. It takes training to another level.
When you realise all this it explains a lot about our squad's togetherness and the fact nobody ever seems unhappy while not playing. Literally, every player is responsible for which 11 players are picked doing well in competitive games. I'd never thought about it this way before.
