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.
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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.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has relaxed rules at the AXA Training Centre (Image: Getty)
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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Trent Alexander-Arnold has taken on leadership responsibilities at Liverpool (Image: Getty)
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.”