Liverpool may have been knocked out of the Champions League nearly two months ago, but Jurgen Klopp and his players have still travelled to mainland Europe in May.
A report from Football Insider revealed that the Reds manager took his squad on a surprise three-day trip to Barcelona following Saturday’s 1-0 win over Brentford, with the travelling party returning to England on Tuesday to commence preparations for next Monday’s visit to Leicester City.
It’s understood that the trip to Spain wasn’t for a training camp, with the German instead eager for his players to rest physically and mentally following a hectic period which saw them play five games in 15 days.
While Liverpool fans would doubtlessly prefer to see their team travelling to the continent for a Champions League game, just like they were this time last year when they won at Villarreal, their absence from knockout competitions has created a somewhat welcome vacuum in their schedule.
The fortnight transcending the end of April and beginning of May, during which the Reds won five successive games by a single goal, precedes a nine-day period without a game until next week’s trip to the King Power Stadium.
Not so long ago it seemed as if the Merseysiders’ season would be effectively over by now, but a run of six straight wins has catapulted them back into the race for a top-four finish, so Klopp’s decision to take the squad to Spain for a well-earned break seems a clever stroke of management.
Ideally, Liverpool will come back to Kirkby with minds and bodies refreshed, ready to give everything for three more games and see where it takes them in their late charge for another campaign in the Champions League.