Exhibit A: Encouraged by his performances during the international break for England, Henderson walks into Klopp’s office and asks to be considered for a position further forward. Klopp actually initially puts him on the bench in the next game (Southampton), but then does bring him on later - in a more advanced position he wanted. Hendo’s introduction helps us win the game and he continues playing further forward from then on, with good effect.
Exhibit B: at half-time vs Chelsea “boys talk about the space” that’s opening up in the center of the penalty area and devise a plan for Trent to deliver a low cross for Gini - this works to perfection and creates an invaluable opening goal. Klopp later admits the idea has come entirely from the players and that “we didn’t train this [type of] corner before the game.”
Exhibit C: today in the 85th minute of a tie game with the realistic chance at title on the line, Virgil TELLS Shaqiri to take the free-kick even though clearly the coaches designated Trent for these duties from this position. So essentially he overrules Klopp on the field - and yet again it leads to the game-winning goal. I didn’t check out Klopp’s press-conference yet, but I’m sure he will fully credit the players with this decision as well.
Most of the time when you hear the phrase “player power” it means something negative - players undermining the manager or creating destructive cliques etc. But here is the opposite example - players are taking initiative, noticing little details during the game that can be exploited and that even the coaching staff might miss and devising their own solutions. This shows that we have a group of players here who can think on their feet, have a deep understanding of the game and confidence to trust their own judgement. It also speaks to Klopp’s humility and total security in his leadership to allow players to take matters into their own hands when it’s warranted. And we did need this - for sure we would have been out of the title race already if not for these key decisions from the players.
Any thoughts on this? Did Liverpool teams of old have positive examples of “player power”?
Exhibit B: at half-time vs Chelsea “boys talk about the space” that’s opening up in the center of the penalty area and devise a plan for Trent to deliver a low cross for Gini - this works to perfection and creates an invaluable opening goal. Klopp later admits the idea has come entirely from the players and that “we didn’t train this [type of] corner before the game.”
Exhibit C: today in the 85th minute of a tie game with the realistic chance at title on the line, Virgil TELLS Shaqiri to take the free-kick even though clearly the coaches designated Trent for these duties from this position. So essentially he overrules Klopp on the field - and yet again it leads to the game-winning goal. I didn’t check out Klopp’s press-conference yet, but I’m sure he will fully credit the players with this decision as well.
Most of the time when you hear the phrase “player power” it means something negative - players undermining the manager or creating destructive cliques etc. But here is the opposite example - players are taking initiative, noticing little details during the game that can be exploited and that even the coaching staff might miss and devising their own solutions. This shows that we have a group of players here who can think on their feet, have a deep understanding of the game and confidence to trust their own judgement. It also speaks to Klopp’s humility and total security in his leadership to allow players to take matters into their own hands when it’s warranted. And we did need this - for sure we would have been out of the title race already if not for these key decisions from the players.
Any thoughts on this? Did Liverpool teams of old have positive examples of “player power”?
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