Itâs noticeable how many former Liverpool players who had relatively nomadic careers have a huge affiliation with the club. Jose Enrique is on TikTok now and is a huge reds fan. Chris Kirkland wearing an LFC jersey to the final. This genuinely means more to former players.
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Once a redâŚâŚ
Tell them never
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As the inscription on the wall in the jacks at the Ratoath Inn says,
WE ARE LIVERPOOL
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YNWA
Iâm mortified for Dan here, he can lay a glove on us Reds.
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Unless you are Michael Owen
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Sammy Lee was getting the VIP treatment on Sunday and he celebrating like a loon anytime a Sam Allardyce team scored against Liverpool.
It was past midnight when the triumphant Liverpool squad finally returned to John Lennon Airport.
Their journey from the capital had been delayed by heavy traffic on the drive from Wembley Stadium to Luton to catch their flight home. The singing and dancing among players and staff in the dressing room after the trophy presentation had been replaced by a collective mood of quiet satisfaction.
There was no party on Merseyside. They simply said their goodbyes and got into their cars. Job done. One down, on to the next challenge as they chase an unprecedented quadruple.
Monday was always going to be a recovery day for those involved in the Carabao Cup final and Jurgen Klopp allowed his players to stay at home rather than report to Kirkby. They will come together once again at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday afternoon when the focus turns to Wednesdayâs FA Cup tie with Norwich City at Anfield.
For Klopp, coming out on top against Chelsea in what he described as âone of the most spectacular penalty shootouts Iâve ever seenâ was all the sweeter because of the work that had gone into preparing for the possibility of spot kicks.
The manager is convinced that German neuroscience expertise played a part in Liverpool converting all 11 of their penalties before Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga skied his effort.
The clubâs partnership with Potsdam-based Neuro11 started during the pre-season training camp in France last summer and has been stepped up during the campaign.
Co-founders Dr Niklas Hausler and Patrick Hantschke help athletes improve precision and get âin the zoneâ by reaching their optimal mental state.
Hantschke and Hausler with the cup they helped to win
Last summer, their work, which involves attaching electrodes to playersâ heads so data can be collected, was largely centred on dead-ball specialists such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.
However, their remit has since been expanded and The Athletic understands that there are now individualised long-term plans in place for each member of Kloppâs squad.
Hausler and Hantschke were among the clubâs guests at Wembley, having also attended the midweek Premier League victory over Leeds United at Anfield. They were heavily involved in training sessions in the build-up to Sundayâs final, with Klopp pictured with his arm around Hausler at Kirkby.
âIn the last few weeks, each player has been through a proper drill psychologically to take penalties,â Klopp said. âCompliments to the boys and compliments to Neuro11 as they do an incredible job with the boys.â
Penalties aside, Liverpool have also become set-piece kings this season since working with Neuro11. They have scored from 15 set-piece situations in the Premier League and a further five in the Champions League. For context, they only managed a combined total of 13 across those two competitions last season.
Speaking to The Athletic earlier this season, Hausler spoke about how they help players âcontrol their brain when it matters mostâ, especially when pressure and fatigue are kicking in.
âEach human has certain brain states. Sometimes weâre more relaxed, sometimes weâre more agitated. What research has shown is that in either case whether youâre too relaxed or too agitated it can be sub-optimal to get what we call âin the zoneâ,â he explained.
(Photo: Getty Images)
âWhen you are able to perform at your best, you let your motor output run automatically. You donât have to think about it, itâs just happening. What we do with a player is we decipher with them and figure out what parts of this process help him or her to get into that brain state.
âWe try to fine-tune it so in the end, the player has a mental tool so it doesnât matter what the situation is, you know what you should focus on and you donât get disorientated.
âYou canât re-create a real high-pressure situation but you can give a player the right tools to be prepared for that. We provide these tools so when a penalty comes up you are able to deal with all the distractions around you and you know exactly what to do to score that goal.â
One man who certainly didnât expect to be taking a penalty on Sunday was Caoimhin Kelleher, who decisively tucked away what proved to be the winning spot kick.
When Liverpool practised penalties at the end of their final training session at Kirkby on Saturday afternoon before flying south and checking into the Wembley Hilton, goalkeeping coach John Achterberg had encouraged the Irish goalkeeper to step up. He duly stuck one past Adrian.
âI told Caoimhin to take one himself before we went in because you never know, but it was more a joke than being serious,â Achterberg reveals to The Athletic. âI certainly didnât think it would come down to him taking one in front of 85,000 under so much pressure on Sunday but he stayed calm and put it away brilliantly.â
Kelleher, who produced a string of impressive saves across the 120 minutes, certainly repaid the faith shown in him by Klopp. The decision to start him ahead of Alisson in the final had been a topic of debate in the build-up.
âWeâve all seen what Caoimhin has been producing and he didnât disappoint on the day. He carried on his good form,â Achterberg says.
âHe deserved his chance to play in such a big occasion. Some doubted it before the game and if it hadnât come off there would have been some criticism. You never know how things are going to work out but it was always the right call.
âHe had played in big Champions League and Premier League games before. He had shown he has the mentality and the temperament as well as the talent to perform at that level. We see his quality every day in training.
âWeâre really happy with the No 1, No 2 and No 3 situation at the club. Whatâs really satisfying is that all three played a big part in securing us that trophy.
âAli made a crucial one-v-one save in the first leg of the semi-final against Arsenal. Adrian made two big saves at 0-0 against Preston in the fourth round. And Caoimhin made those penalty saves against Leicester and also did well in the other games.â
Liverpool, Caoimhin Kelleher
(Photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Earlier this season, Achterberg commissioned a mural at Kirkby created by local artist John Culshaw, which features images of all the goalkeepers who have helped Liverpool clinch silverware over the years. The words âIn Safe Handsâ are emblazoned on it. Now Kelleherâs face will be added alongside icons like Ray Clemence, Bruce Grobbelaar and Alisson.
âWe were saying last week that it might need updating if Sunday went to plan. Itâs a source of inspiration and motivation for all the goalies and Caoimhin deserves to be up there now,â Achterberg adds. Kelleher will be the 14th keeper on it.
In total, 33 players featured in Liverpoolâs Carabao Cup run. It launched the careers of exciting youngsters including Kaide Gordon, Tyler Morton and Conor Bradley.
âThe whole journey was a squad journey for us and thatâs what I love most about it,â beamed Klopp.
Takumi Minamino didnât get on at Wembley but he top-scored with four goals in the competition and senior stars ensured he had his moment in the limelight with the trophy on the Wembley turf.
Harvey Elliott, at the age of 18 years and 329 days, became the youngest-ever player to appear for the club in a major final. At the other end of the scale, James Milner became the oldest Liverpool player to appear at Wembley at the age of 36 years and 54 days.
Early on Monday morning, an email landed in the inbox of every member of Forever Reds, the clubâs former players association, inviting them to come to Anfield on Tuesday with up to three guests to have their photo taken with the trophy. By 11am on Monday, the Champions Wall outside the stadium had been updated, with the figure eight under an image of the League Cup changed to a nine. Klopp will hope itâs not the last time that honours board needs changing this season.
Sunday was certainly a day that 11-year-old Liverpool fan Beau Brown will never forget. He was plucked from the crowd by Alisson and given the chance to be part of the presentation.
Millions around the world watched as the Holy Cross Catholic Primary School pupil, who plays as a centre-back for L4 Barca Under-11s and Liverpool Schoolboys, lifted the trophy after being handed it by Klopp.
âIt was the best moment of my life,â he told The Athletic after returning home to Merseyside on Monday with dad Terence and 15-year-old brother Terence Junior.
âWe were right by the players as they walked up the stairs and I was hanging over to high five them. Ali started talking to me and asked me how Iâd got a black eye (a clash of heads playing junior football). He then lifted me over.
âIt was brilliant. I felt like I was one of the players. Virgil van Dijk is my favourite player and he was laughing that I was up there.
Beau watches Klopp lift the trophy (Getty Images)
âJurgen Klopp gave me a hug and asked me if I wanted to lift the cup. My mates canât believe it. Thank you, Alisson, for what you did for me.â
Dad Terence, a youth football coach who previously worked for Tranmere Roversâ academy, adds: âIt was a weird, crazy feeling. My lad up there, next to Klopp and holding the trophy at Wembley. My phone hasnât stopped ringing all day. Sky Sports want to talk to Beau.
âIt doesnât matter how much money you have, you canât buy a moment like that. It says a lot about Alisson that he did something like that for a young lad. What a team we have to support.â
(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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What a special club
Adam Lallana was there in a Liverpool jersey and he on the books at another Premier League club. An LFC man to the core.
Thatâs a(n) hilarious twitter account
Mentality Monsters
Electrodes to the head is the new apple juice.
Time for Taki to take the game by the scruff of the neck again. Origi in his best position down the middle surely. 2-0 Liverpool - Ox and Taki