Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a key change after replacing Jurgen Klopp (Image: Getty)
boss made major changes to his side’s preparation for matches so that players can focus on sleep. The plans seem to have worked, with the Reds now 11 points clear in the Premier League.
Under , ’s players slept in a hotel the night before all matches. But Slot’s approach is more relaxed and sees them stay in their own beds before home matches and for away trips where the logistics allow for it to happen.
The Dutchman took advice from staff who said sleep is the most crucial aspect of recovery.
“I don’t know too much about it but people who do [have sufficient knowledge] say that sleep is the most important thing for recovery,” Slot told Sky Sports before Sunday’s 2-0 victory over .
“That’s why we (Slot and interviewer Jamie Redknapp) are sitting here now at 10:15am. Normally we would have done it at 9:15. The players come in a bit later because we came in quite late yesterday. It’s important for them to have a bit more sleep.
“You can go to an ice bath [to recover] or anything, it’s all important. But sleep, people tell me at least, that is the most important thing when it comes to recoveries. To be ready for City, we don’t go into a hotel. We do during the day, but they all sleep at home.”
’s players have benefitted from the change and are strong favourites to win their first Premier League title in five years. Their lack of big injuries — relative to their rivals — also suggests that the importance placed on sleep is working.
Cristiano Ronaldo is big on sleep (Image: Getty)
Cristiano Ronaldo is known to take 90-minute naps five times a day in a bid to prolong his career. Some experts believe that short bursts of sleep are better for a person than the recommended eight hours per night.
Ronaldo employed a sleep coach, Nick Littlehales, to help him understand the importance of sleep while he was at Real Madrid. “He was interested in what I was trying to do because as an athlete he has always invested in himself,” Littlehales told the Independent.
“From what I have learned from working with him, Ronaldo is not at all interested in diets, he is not interested in copying others, the only thing he is concerned about is: is it working for him?”