Virgil van Dijk has recalled how Jurgen Klopp's unorthodox pre-match tradition left him 'triggered' prior to a 3-0 loss at Anfield during his Southampton days in 2017.
Since being appointed Liverpool boss over seven years ago, eagle-eyed supporters have come to notice how the usually animated German spends large parts of the pre-match warm-up positioned on the halfway line, examining the opposition's routines while assistant manager Pep Lijnders and head of fitness Andreas Kornmayer put Liverpool's players through their paces.
However, despite carrying out the pre-match ritual in almost every fixture since October 2015, Klopp has not divulged his reasoning behind the tactic. But given the Reds' success domestically and internationally, it's fair to say whatever advantage he is trying to generate has obviously worked as the former Borussia Dortmund manager has delivered a sixth European Cup and a 19th league title to Anfield during his time at the helm.
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For the likes of Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Roberto Firmino, the pre-match ploys of their manager is all they have known since working with the German and have become accustomed to warm-ups with limited involvement from Klopp. However, the same can't be said about Van Dijk, who lined up against Klopp numerous times prior to his then record transfer to Anfield in January 2018.
The last of those occasions came in November 2017, months after Liverpool had tried and failed in their attempt to lure the defender away from the south coast. Despite his impending transfer to Anfield being the worst-kept secret in football at the time, Van Dijk was determined to put on an impressive display on Merseyside. That was before he had been 'triggered' by his soon-to-be manager, Klopp, during the warm-up.
"When I played with Southampton there [Anfield] for example, you see him standing looking at your warm-up," recalled Van Dijk on The Overlap. "I think, for a fact, you're going to have a good warm-up. You're going to make sure every pass you make is [good], you don't want to give him the feeling that he might go in and say 'listen, he had a bad warm-up, you have to get on him.'
"I remember when I played my last game [at Anfield] for Southampton and we lost 3-0, he was also looking and it definitely triggered me a little bit. I think everyone noticed that.
"He's a very warm person, very passionate. I only have positive words to say about him, it's not just because he's the boss but I really enjoy working with him."
Liverpool would make light work of Mauricio Pellegrino's side that afternoon as Mohamed Salah's incredible early-season form saw him add another two goals to his impressive Premier League tally. Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho would put the icing on the cake of the 3-0 drubbing shortly into the second half, leaving Van Dijk and his fellow Saints defenders enduring an afternoon to forget on Merseyside.
Less than six weeks later, Van Dijk's £75m move to Anfield was announced ahead of the January 2018 transfer window. In his first half-season at the club, the defender would help propel the Reds to their first Champions League final in eleven years, before being defeated by Real Madrid after a collection of mishaps from goalkeeper Loris Karius.
However, the Dutchman and his team-mates would go one further during the 2018-2019 season, after the signings of Alisson Becker and Fabinho, and record the club's sixth European Cup victory thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Later that year, Van Dijk would finish second to Lionel Messi for the most prestigious award individual award in World football, the Ballon d'Or.
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