Soccer

Jürgen Klopp to use neuroscience company for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final preparations

Klopp, who first invited neuro11 to Liverpool camp before 2021-22 season, exploring options to beat Chelsea

Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp and Scottish defender Andrew Robertson, who could make his first appearance on Sunday since dislocating a shoulder. Photograph: Paul Ellis/Getty Images

Andy Hunter
Thu Jan 25 2024 - 22:30

Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final preparations will again involve working with the German neuroscience company neuro11 as Jürgen Klopp explores all options for beating Chelsea.

Klopp first invited neuro11, which helps players focus on penalties, free-kicks and other set pieces with “accuracy training”, to Liverpool’s preseason training camp before the 2021-22 season when his team came close to winning the quadruple.

He credited the company’s founders, Dr Niklas Hausler and Patrick Hantschke, with a key role in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup triumph that season after his players converted all 11 penalties in their shoot-out defeat of Chelsea.

The two teams will meet again in this season’s final on February 25th and, as in 2022, Klopp wants neuro11 to put Liverpool’s players through a psychological drill in case penalties are needed.

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“They work for us. They were here last week because there was the potential of a penalty shoot-out against Fulham. We will definitely do something before the final. They will be in that week,” Klopp said.

Liverpool remain in pursuit of four trophies this season and, as well as a Carabao Cup final date with Chelsea, have a home FA Cup tie against Norwich to fuel comparisons with the 2021-22 campaign. Norwich were beaten 2-1 in the fifth round at Anfield two years ago and return on Sunday, when Andy Robertson could make his first appearance since dislocating a shoulder and Dominik Szoboszlai should be available having recovered from a hamstring injury.

Klopp, asked whether the experience of the last quadruple chase could benefit the latest, said: “I didn’t think about it, because we are far off having four finals. We qualified for one. But we learned that year it makes no sense to plan the next one if you didn’t even play the first one.

“The competitions are not made so that somebody wins all of them. That’s just how it is because of the number of games. I saw now that if we win on Sunday, the [Carabao Cup] final is on Sunday the 25th and then three days later is the next round of the FA Cup.” – Guardian

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