Typically, pre-season is a time where players are put through their paces in a bid to reach optimum fitness levels in time for the big kick-off.
Manager’s usually stick to planning training sessions and barking out orders from the sidelines in a series of friendly matches.
But Jurgen Klopp is different.
With his Liverpool side over in the States, the German took to the field in a match between the club’s staff and Stanford University.
Klopp, who spent the majority of his playing career with Mainz 05, appeared in three different position during the match – playing for stints of the game in defence, midfield and attack.
The game finished in a 1-1 draw. Club physio Ruben Pons equalised against the university side in spectacular fashion, scoring from inside his own half.
Former midfielder and Ireland’s ‘next big thing’ for a time Richie Partridge, now a physio with Liverpool’s under-21s, was also given a run out.
Klopp went close to scoring on a couple of occassions before dropping deeper and deeper as the game went on.
As for the Liverpool players, they face Chelsea in their next preseason match on Thursday at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, California before games against Italian duo AC Milan and AS Roma and Barcelona.
As far as we know, Jurgen Klopp won’t be venturing onto the field of play in any of those matches.
