Philippe Coutinho has given a behind-the-scenes peak into the training ground drills that have made Liverpool contenders for this season's Premier League title.
The diminutive playmaker is sidelined until the New Year after he suffered ankle ligament damage in the 2-0 win over Sunderland, but had been one of a number of standout Reds stars before suffering the blow.
Jurgen Klopp's men currently lie third in the Premier League table with 30 points from their 14 league matches to date, four points behind table toppers Chelsea ahead of the busy Christmas fixture schedule.
Liverpool have been lauded for their fast-paced attacking football under the German and, in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine (via the Liverpool Echo), Coutinho revealed a tantalising glimpse of the sessions that the first-team squad undergo at their Melwood training base.
He said: We work really hard on our passing game, because our manager likes this type of playing style. Something we practise a lot is playing three short passes and then switching the play with a longer pass. We often repeat that routine.
One of the reasons we do this is so that the forwards can try to escape their markers and then open up spaces on the pitch very quickly.�
Liverpool have led the league standings on a couple of occasions throughout 2016/17 but, following their capitulation against Bournemouth on Sunday, failed to reel in Chelsea and Arsenal, who both achieved victories from their matches on Saturday.
Despite the setback, Coutinho insisted that his teammates would remain upbeat before adding that confidence was everything in the modern era for footballers if success was to be attained.
The Brazil international said: Confidence is a huge factor out on the pitch. I think it comes through repeated quality training, which gives you belief in your ability as well as the confidence to transfer your work from the training ground onto the pitch.
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If we get only two or three chances in 90 minutes, you need to be confident that you will make the right decision in the final third and then put the ball in the back of the net.�
I don't think there is a secret “ you just have to practise making these decisions a lot.
Attacking midfielders need to play with happiness. By that I mean dribbling at pace and making things happen. If you repeat that every day, then you will tap into the perfect mental state to be creative.�
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