Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp can often be seen sprinting down the tunnel to the dressing rooms at Anfield just before the half time whistle blows.
The 54-year-old German has now provided a rare piece of insight into the evolution of his half-time team talks which show just how far football has evolved for those managing top Premier League sides and elsewhere.
During the Merseyside derby, Liverpool’s coaching staff showed the players one video clip during the break and, according to Klopp, they “stopped it eight times” to highlight how they could do things differently in the second half against Frank Lampard's Everton.
From drawing 0-0 at half time, they went on to beat Everton 2-0. And did the same against Villarreal. The time is limited, managers need to get messages across to players and specialist software like Hudl Sportscode is being used up and down the country. Brentford, Wolves and Leeds use cutting edge STATSports technology in-games, the vast majority of top flight clubs use it for training while others use their Sonra Live iPad software during matches.
The notion that managers merely use a “kick up the backside” at half time is long gone but to be able to break down moves in such detail is a real eye-opener and why clubs like Liverpool are having such success. Barry Watters, who is head of sports science at STATSports, said: “What he would be referring to here is managers referencing a manager showing a video, let’s say of a left back getting caught with a winger in behind, in specific plays and more talking to the player around positioning.”
Champions League final chaos
Fans are facing a huge price hike and travel chaos ahead of another potential all-English Champions League final in Paris on May 28. Some respected sports travel agents are charging in excess of £6,000 for packages which include match tickets, travel and hotels. But that does not tell the other story of hotels either being booked up or charging extortionate rates, Eurostar tickets being sold out and a scramble for tickets for the showpiece final.
UEFA have proudly boasted 52,000 of the State De France’s 75,000 capacity for the final will go to fans with 20,000 tickets each to both finalists and another 12,000 on general sale. UEFA say another 10,000 will be “reserved for the fans of the two teams and will be offered for free to reward the lifeblood of the game for their loyal support during the pandemic.” Bookies make Liverpool odds-on to make the final while Manchester City are also favourites to see off Real Madrid in what would be the second all-English final in four years after Liverpool beat Tottenham in Madrid in 2019. UEFA, who moved the final to Paris from St Petersburg to punish Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, say it is down to the organisers to ensure there is enough travel and accommodation.
Meanwhiile, UEFA stage their next Congress in Vienna on May 11 but it is unlikely any agreement over the new-look Champions League format will be reached by then. The Premier League are one of the main groups in opposition to two places being given out for historical achievements. That will be a major sticking point as broadcasters will be paying billions and expect the likes of Manchester United and the rest to be involved.
Television
The FA Cup, the best domestic final in world football, has a new kick-off time of 4.45pm this season. Bearing in mind BBC and ITV will share the live rights, it could command an incredible free-to-air TV audience. The FA stresses the kick-off time is decided in collaboration with the clubs, local authorities, police and broadcaster. But the dream for any TV channel is to get a show to lead viewers into prime time… so that may explain the 4.45pm kick-off as if it goes to extra time and penalties it would finish around 7.30pm. Anything later may not be good for TV ratings.
This column revealed a few weeks ago that a TV deal had yet to be struck for England’s forthcoming Nations League campaign. Sky were not pushing for the rights and Channel 4 are now keen. But there is some backlash as UEFA are doing the negotiations on behalf of national associations and the figures being discussed are lower than expected. There will have to be a balance between England being on terrestrial TV and an attractive financial package.
Meanwhile, the Premier League’s in-house TV company Premier League Productions told staff last Friday about potential changes to programming and cuts to staff. The channel is run by IMG who have 200 full time staff working on PLP, a large contingent of freelance - which include many BBC, ITV and Sky presenters and pundits - but next season are expected to produce more digital output and less midweek studio shows. Output is rarely seen in the UK but is broadcast across the globe to support live coverage internationally and an IMG spokesman said: “There have been some small changes to the staffing structure to meet the operational requirements.”
