Liverpool will turn to a brains trust of neuroscientists to help in their quest for four trophies this season, with German firm Neuro11 booked in for sessions with the squad before their Carabao Cup final against Chelsea next month.
The Reds used the scientists in 2022 during their quest for an unprecedented Quadruple – they won two cups, missed out on the Premier League title by a point and lost the Champions League final – to help measure brain activity and create tailored plans for each player.
It is all in hope to find a marginal gain that could help players be more ‘in the zone’ ahead of crucial matches or in pressure moments like a penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool needed to twice beat Chelsea in those 2022 Carabao and FA Cup finals.
Players wear electrodes from the Potsdam-based firm on their heads during training sessions, which measure the live activity of the brain and can inform methods to reach peak mental state – different for each case – which can in turn improve precision on the pitch.
‘Knowing ourselves in more detail makes it possible for us to optimise our mental processes and develop the best and most stable routine,’ said Dr Niklas Hausler, a co-founder, in 2022.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool will turn to a brain trust of neuroscientists to help their quest for four trophies this season
The Reds remain on course to win four trophies after reaching the Carabao Cup final
The firm has also found success in high-concentration sports such as golf, darts and archery.
The data helps indicate how certain players get in the zone and also how they could fall out of it. This can inform tailored practices for Liverpool’s stars to use in those pressure moments, such as walking up to take a penalty in front of 90,000 people at Wembley.
Neuro11 did work with the squad before the Carabao Cup semi-final and are poised to come in again ahead of the Chelsea clash on February 25. It is another innovative idea from Klopp.
In 2018, he hired specialist throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark to improve those situations.
In a summer pre-season camp, Klopp invited German-born triathlete Jan Frodeno, who has won Olympic gold medals and Ironman titles, to do a talk about mental resilience, while the former Saatchi & Saatchi CEO did a session on empowering players’ voices.
The Reds used the scientists in 2022 during their quest for an unprecedented Quadruple
Trent Alexander-Arnold (above) and Kostas Tsimikas were both pictured wearing brain sensors
Liverpool needed twice needed penalties to beat Chelsea in the Carabao and FA Cup finals in 2022, high-pressure scenarios in which neuroscientists can help
In 2022, former Reds skipper Jordan Henderson told Mail Sport: ‘(Neuro11) have been working with us all season.
‘It helps us practise a lot more and focus on individual things — like free kicks or penalties. That has helped a lot of the lads.’
Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai will return to team training on Friday after a hamstring injury and is in line to be in the squad for Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Norwich.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is hoping to join him after a knee injury, while Andy Robertson is also primed for minutes.
