Kostas Tsimikas is among a small group of senior players back for pre-season, and he has described the first few sessions with Arne Slot as “intense.”
With no international obligations this summer, Tsimikas was afforded a rare opportunity to enjoy close to two months off – which is hard to fathom when five Reds are still competing.
In an interview with the club at the AXA Training Centre, the left-back said he could not “remember the last time I had seven weeks to myself to just chill on the beach.”
His days of relaxing, though, are over with pre-season in full swing. It is Slot’s first summer with the club and Tsimikas offered his insight into what the first week has been like.
He said: “It was very good. Quite intense. I think all the boys gave their best possible every day.
Kostas has offered insight into Arne Slot’s training methods and the playing style the head coach is looking to implement ??
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“He (Slot) has very good ideas, in my opinion, and we work really hard to try and understand the way he wants us to play.
“Really looking forward after many training sessions with him to see how the team reacts in the game and what we can do.”
As for the messages and instructions the new coach has been giving to the squad throughout his sessions, the 28-year-old said: “To play nice football.
“To create triangles when we want to play, and especially to make small movements to take the ball on the right foot and go from there.
“We haven’t worked many days, but I think that’s the main message they have given us in the days we have been here.”
Training changes already spotted
The Dutchman has made it no secret that he studied what Jurgen Klopp and his team did at the club, but made it clear that “the players are not going to get all the same exercises again – we will implement our own things.”
He has already made noticeable changes, including swapping out the lactate test for the six-minute race test and warm-up exercises in pairs that looked like a mix of shadow boxing and tag.
And from footage released by the club over the last week, we have seen the new head coach be vocal and very hands-on – with Curtis Jones appearing to be one to catch the eye early on.
As Tsimikas said himself, it will be intriguing to see how the changes look in game scenarios.
Liverpool head to the US for three friendlies later this month, but are expected to play a number of behind-closed-doors games at the AXA before jetting off.
