Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed how his players are being helped this season by innovation from Germany
Jurgen Klopp has hailed the "incredible impact" of the innovative weapon that helped Liverpool secure Carabao Cup final glory.
The Reds have this season enlisted the help of Niklas Hausler and Patrick Hantschke from neuro11, a scientific group who develop mental strength training programmes for professional sports.
The pair, who co-founded the initiative, visited Liverpool's pre-season training camp at Evian in the summer and have since made regular visits to the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby to work with players on set-pieces and penalties.
That preparation paid off during the shoot-out at Wembley as the Reds converted all their spot kicks to earn a dramatic 11-10 triumph over Chelsea on Sunday after a goalless draw.
Hausler and Hantschke, whose work is based in the German town of Potsdam, were both present at the final and handed the trophy during the post-match celebrations.
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And Liverpool manager Klopp has no doubt over the role they are continuing to play as his side, who entertain Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday, chase an unprecedented quadruple.
"Incredible impact," he said. “All the players are really excited about it and it’s about bringing specific players before a set-piece in the right mindset by doing the stuff we do on the pitch.
“Everything gets measured, there are neuroscientists and it’s incredibly interesting and incredibly important to us.
“It's a very interesting new chapter for us because it’s not only penalties, although in the last week it was a lot about penalties because of the upcoming final. It’s about free-kicks, all kind of set-pieces as well.
“The last boys (in the shoot-out) were not on the list (with neuro11), so the burden is mine because nobody expected it to go on too long. But even with Ibou (Konate) they worked together and that helped.
“It’s an interesting question if Chelsea worked together with them as well as there was just one penalty difference, but it’s not about that.
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"It’s about the confidence they gave the boys that they really can do it and I’m really happy about it.
"Although penalties were the most obvious thing it’s all the set-pieces – corners, free-kicks, direct free-kicks, crosses, all those kind of things.
“Whoever comes in those positions and situations (regularly) has extra sessions with the neuro11 guys."
The initiative is a further example of how Liverpool are looking at new ways to make marginal gains, such as the association with throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark that is now into a fourth season.
Liverpool first registered an interest in neuro11 – a spin-off from the University of Bonn in Germany – several years ago only for the coronavirus pandemic to delay the link-up until last summer.
As part of the programme, electrodes are attached to players heads to record data. And since working with neuro11, no team has scored more goals than the Reds from set-pieces in the Premier League.
"It’s actually a nice story," said Klopp, who gave his players Monday off after their Wembley heroics. "A few years ago I got in contact with them because I found their ideas interesting.
“They are a fixed part of our coaching staff. They are not here all the time, they are in Germany obviously but they come over quite frequently.
“They were here for the last week, before that they were here for five days. That’s how it works because very often we are on the road and not here so why should they be here? It does not make sense.
“We need to find these moments where we are here a lot and then they work together with the boys in a specific way."
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