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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Caoimhe O'Neill

Pep Lijnders outlines how James Milner forced Liverpool to adapt one training ground routine

Liverpool's assistant manager Pep Lijnders has explained how James Milner led him to create a new training ground exercise.

Lijnders, who re-joined the Reds in June 2018 following a five-month spell in charge of Dutch outfit NEC, is responsible for the training process at Melwood.

The Netherlands-born coach has explained how he devised a more intense version of a rondo after being inspired by Milner's intensity.

A rondo is a popular training drill whereby a group of players are tasked with keeping hold of the ball as one or more players attempt to retrieve possession.

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In an interview with The Guardian, Jurgen Klopp's assistant revealed he was forced to adapt the rondo after the 33-year-old midfielder kept rapidly winning the ball back.

Lijnders said: "The five-v-two rondo is a good example. It’s actually called Milly’s rondo now, after I got inspired by James Milner, because he always intercepted the ball within the first few passes.

"He was really quick and brought the focus of the rondo to another level. I was like: ‘How can I come up with a rule that everyone will execute with his kind of intensity?’

"So I gave an extra incentive for the two players in the middle if they would intervene within the first six passes. So I told Milly: ‘This is your idea!’ The other players loved it."

Manager Jurgen Klopp (right) of Liverpool with Pepijn Lijnders (centre) and Vitor Matos during a training session at Melwood (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The 36-year-old, who spent time coaching at Porto before making the move to Liverpool in 2014, also outlined the importance 'Milly's rondo' and other similar training ground drills which are employed under his tutelage.

"The players first have to understand the importance of counterpressing to our team. They have to feel it, not with the head, but with the heart. They start the exercise with the idea to keep the ball, but in the event of losing it they have to be directly on top of things," Lijnders stated.

Blood Red: - Pep Lijnders - "Our identity is intensity"

"When a team lose the ball in training, you will hear me, Jurgen or Pete screaming: 'Go! Get it back! Don’t stop!' It’s so loud they’ll even hear that in Manchester, haha.

"They have to understand why it’s so important. That power and emotion is our game. Because our identity is intensity. That comes back in every drill. And that’s what I like about coaching: that you can stimulate certain common behaviour and create a lot by specific team training. That’s what I live for."

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