Penalties are a lottery they say, but Liverpool have beaten Chelsea twice on spot kicks this season, and after last night’s defeat there was some interesting analysis on Twitter of the way that both managers prepared their teams in the moments before the shootout.
Two wins isn’t enough to draw too many conclusions, but it’s very interesting to see the different behaviour broken down.
There seem to be multiple moments where Thomas Tuchel lost out to Jurgen Klopp in the battle to inspire his players and give them as much confidence as possible before their big moments.
It’s certainly true that there is an exceptional togetherness that breeds confidence in the Red camp.
On the other hand, as someone points out in the comments, if Chelsea had a better penalty goalkeeper who had saved a couple, nobody would be talking about any of this.
You can see the Tweets from the thread embedded here:
At around 60 seconds after the final whistle, Klopp already has made his selection and approaches each penalty taker to tell/ask him what shot to take. He does this one-on-one and often cements his ask with his trademark HUG. The asking process is intimate, safe, and loving. 2/9 pic.twitter.com/2tmmudjmCm
— Geir Jordet (@GeirJordet) May 15, 2022
Entering the circle of players before you've completed the selection is what happened to Gareth Southgate in the 2021 Euros final – you’re late, not ready, become reactive, and what could have been a smooth final reminder to the team becomes erratic, rushed & stressed. 5/9 pic.twitter.com/LsxS0QwoY2
— Geir Jordet (@GeirJordet) May 15, 2022
While Tuchel is still in the process of selecting and asking his players, Klopp has finished all his administrative duties and spends his time spreading warmth, love and good energy; even taking a moment to have a laugh with van Dijk. 7/9 pic.twitter.com/XpXIW5NoB3
— Geir Jordet (@GeirJordet) May 15, 2022
Jürgen Klopp’s Monsters of mentality are not born, they’re made. Proactive preparation, composed execution, and warm/loving communication tend to give the best possible foundation for performance under extreme pressure. Liverpool was up 1-0 before the shootout had even begun. 9/9 pic.twitter.com/95IwiodGdP
— Geir Jordet (@GeirJordet) May 15, 2022