Jurgen Klopp has admitted that one part of Liverpool’s pre-season preparations in Singapore was bound to feel ‘strange’.
Ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against Leicester, the Reds held an open training session at the National Stadium, where Sunday’s fixture will take place (kick-off 10am British time).
The manager said in his pre-match press conference that it’d be an unusual feeling to hold training in front of a large crowd, with the squad being greeted by fervent support ever since arriving in the Far East.
Klopp stated (via liverpoolfc.com): “Tonight obviously [we have] a training session, which is an important session for us. We will do a completely normal tactical session tonight in front of, I don’t know, 20,000 people around about, so that will be strange.
“I hope the people will not be constantly screaming because I need to find a microphone or something else because I have to talk to the players during the session. But it’s great and it’s exactly what you want when you play for a club like Liverpool.
“You travel and show your face wherever our supporters are. We cannot do that constantly but as often as we can we have to do it and that’s why we are in Asia.”
Even in an era where photos and video clips of training sessions are openly shared by clubs on their official social media channels, it’s still a rarity for supporters to be able to witness such events firsthand.
While the stadium was nowhere near full for today’s session, it still would’ve felt rather different to what Klopp would be accustomed to at Liverpool, so it’s natural that he might’ve found it a bit ‘strange’, as he put it.
However, pre-season trips such as this are as much about connecting with the fan base in locations where they wouldn’t generally get to see their heroes in the flesh as they are about preparing for the campaign ahead. For those who attended today, or are going to the matches in Singapore, it’ll be an experience to cherish.
The manager rued the timing of last July’s trip to the Far East (Daily Mail) but seems much happier with the itinerary this time around, with the Reds having had a solid training camp in Germany (and two games) under their belts before flying out to Asia.
Liverpool can expect a passionate and vocal support from their adoring fans in that part of the world for the games against Leicester and Bayern over the next few days, and it’s something Klopp and the players will no doubt appreciate greatly.
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