Liverpool squad get some isolation yoga for Klopp fitness

The Premier League seems unlikely to resume in the near future and clubs have been forced to come up with more creative ways to keep fitness levels and team morale high during the interim. At Liverpool, players have been given personal fitness plans that can be done from their own homes but this morning assistant manager Pep Lijnders led the team in a communal video call yoga session.

Using the video conference service Zoom the Reds’ squad were brought together for some early morning yoga, but it proved to be a bit too early for some.

On the footage posted by the club’s official Twitter account Trent Alexander-Arnold could be heard saying “it’s a bit early this fellas”, drawing a laugh from captain Jordan Henderson.

Also in on the group yoga session were James Milner, Virgil van Dijk, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and Joel Matip.

Both Milner and Van Dijk were in very well-equipped home gyms, while Henderson appeared to be lounging around on the floor of his living room. Maybe that’s one of the perks of captaincy.

Lijnders led the session with Jürgen Klopp and goalkeeping coach John Achterberg watching on. The Red’s manager was still sporting his iconic black cap and glasses combination as if he was standing on the touchline at Melwood.

Giggs' yoga sets an example

Yoga may not seem like a usual training session for a group of elite footballer but it has been gaining traction in the game in recent years, helped in part by former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs.

The Welshman’s 24-year professional career saw him playing at Old Trafford past his 40th birthday and he credits yoga for his longevity, claiming it may have extended his career by up to a decade.

But despite the long-term benefits, Klopp is far from happy with the current situation and has admitted that the lack of an exact timetable makes it difficult to keep players fit.

“At our last meeting nobody knew exactly how long it would go on, and nobody still knows,” said Klopp. “All we could try and do was make sure everything was sorted in our little space as much as we could and organise what we could for the boys.”

Current plans would hopefully see the Premier League return in early May but with that now looking doubtful these yoga sessions might become increasingly useful.