Liverpool have been back in pre-season training for the past fortnight, but one of the changes introduced by Arne Slot’s coaching staff has been branded ‘stupid’ and ‘nonsense’ by a former Reds player.
As noted by The Athletic, new goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte has implemented the use of Swivel Vision training goggles, which limit peripheral vision and are designed to improve players’ reactions, hand-eye coordination and technical skills by restricting the amount of sensory input that they intake.
The scientific idea met with short shrift from Steve Nicol, who was speaking on ESPN FC when he gave a rather unflattering verdict on the new training method.
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The 62-year-old fumed: “What a lot of nonsense! I know exactly what the suggestion is and why they’re doing it, but it’s garbage. Why don’t you do it with the players then? Why just the goalies? If it’s so great, why don’t all the players do it as well? I mean, seriously, what a lot of nonsense.
“When they do the shooting drills, will the goalies still have the glasses on? How stupid is that! It’s a lot of nonsense. It helps them to do what? Garbage , absolute garbage, I’m sorry. I’ve seen some stuff but…”
In an era where sports science is evolving exponentially, marginal gains are often sought by clubs such as Liverpool who seek a niche in the market to try and get the upper hand on opponents.
It might seen unorthodox at first, and it’s certainly a world away from the training methods to which former players of Nicol’s generation would be accustomed.
However, if the Reds go on to lift major silverware this season, nobody will be complaining about Otte’s use of the Swivel Vision goggles.
You can view Nicol’s verdict in full below, via ESPN FC on YouTube:
The post (Video) ‘How stupid is that…’ – ESPN pundit is not a fan of ‘nonsense’ Liverpool training drill appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
