Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

Liverpool explain coronavirus plan and how lockdown has changed Jurgen Klopp's squad

Liverpool had already been planning for the possibility of the Premier League being shut down because of the coronavirus outbreak.

But the time apart away from Melwood has served to only strengthen the bond between the squad and the coaching staff.

The Reds have been training from home since the decision was taken to suspend top-flight action on March 13.

Jurgen Klopp's squad are working to individual programmes as well as taking part in virtual yoga and training sessions.

And Mona Nemmer, Liverpool's head of nutrition, has explained how the Reds had anticipated having to work in isolation while detailing the new demands on her role.

"When this virus came up, from a logistical point of view you try to think ahead as much as you can and prepare things, so we kind of prepared for this eventual lockdown situation a little bit," she said.

"Not that we wanted it to happen, but it’s important that you have enough food and stuff like that available so we reached out to the suppliers early enough to discuss opportunities and how they see the situation because we were all not familiar with this actual status at the moment.

"So we have tried to prepare ourselves a little bit in this direction.

"We try to write ‘sensible’ menus, if that makes sense, because difficult times can afford unusual or innovative approaches.

"We try to adapt to the current food situation, so it’s not luxurious in this way and we try to keep it quite basic but still interesting and still very tasty and, of course, all of what they need because they are still working out and training."

Liverpool's players and coaching staff have remained in constant contact throughout the lockdown, which is expected to continue for at least another three weeks.

And Nemmer, speaking to liverpoolfc.com, believes the club have managed to extract a positive from a difficult situation.

"I miss the Melwood atmosphere, I miss the colleagues there and I was missing everything already after about two days!" added Nemmer.

"I think the current situation is even more challenging for us but I think as a team, how we have set up the communication structure around us, has connected us even closer in a way.

"There are all kinds of communication tools around, like Zoom and Microsoft Teams and FaceTime calls, of course WhatsApp and also just normal text messages, that we are using.

"Also we are having a lot of phone calls which is really, really appreciated because I think it’s nicer to ask somebody ‘How are you?’ than to type it out. We are doing a lot."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.