Liverpool youngster Neco Williams has provided a glimpse inside Jurgen Klopp's team talks, recalling how the Reds boss gave him confidence ahead of a crucial match against Arsenal.
Klopp is renowned for his close bond with players and heart-on-sleeve approach to management.
He led Liverpool to Champions League glory last season and to a 25-point lead and within touching distance of the Premier League trophy this campaign.
And Williams believes the German can sense the mood of his players and inspire them with confidence ahead of matches.
The 19-year-old defender recalled Klopp's remarks to him before the Carabao Cup clash with Arsenal last October.
Having made only a handful of senior appearances for the Reds, Williams admitted he was nervous before the game.
But he was put at ease by Klopp's pre-match advice and went on to assist Divock Origi's last-minute equaliser as the Reds triumphed on penalties after a dramatic 5-5 draw.
“I knew about a week or so before that I was going to play in the Arsenal game,” Williams told Liverpool's official website.
“I think the manager could see I was a bit nervous coming into training and thinking about it, so he called me to one side and just said, ‘Play your normal game, play as you would play like I was playing for the U23s, play with confidence and there’s no pressure on you whatsoever.’
“Him coming over to me and saying that just took kind of a little weight off my shoulders for me to go into that game and play with confidence.”
Williams, who plays predominantly as a right-back, has made five senior appearances for Liverpool, providing three assists.
He was part of the Reds' FIFA Club World Cup-winning squad and described the experience of being with the senior squad as an "eye-opener".
Williams added: “For me, that was the first time going away with the senior squad. So it was just a big eye-opener to see what it was like with the seniors.
“I was just trying to grasp it all in, take everything in. Watching the lads win both games, I was trying to take stuff in and try to put them into my game.”
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