Fernando Torres, a former striker for Liverpool, made a special trip to the AXA Training Centre on Friday to observe Jürgen Klopp and his coaching team in action.
Torres, the head coach of Atletico Madrid U19s at the moment, was back on Merseyside this past weekend after leading LFC Legends to victory over AFC Ajax at Anfield.
In order to have a unique behind-the-scenes look and to further his coaching career, the Spaniard made a second trip back to the city and spent a day with the Reds’ senior team, Academy, and staff.
After speaking with the manager, Torres trained at the senior level in Kirkby after working with the Academy. He will be present at Anfield on Sunday for the Premier League matchup between Brighton & Hove Albion.
When asked what as a rookie coach he could take away from the day, he replied, “A lot of things. Perhaps the most important factor is Jürgen’s and his staff’s charisma and character with the players. The most important thing, in my opinion, is that he treats everyone like family.
”I’ve had the opportunity to see how everything works from the inside, which is great,” Torres told Liverpoolfc.com. “I’m a big fan of Jürgen and his staff all around the AXA training facility, which is very different to when I was here, so obviously the club grows a lot and I have the chance to see why.
“There are many reasons but it’s amazing to be here and to be able to meet with Jürgen, Pep [Lijnders] and all the staff to learn and try to understand the Liverpool way.”
He added: “It’s the same heart. I love to see Carol and Caroline in the kitchen and see Smally [Paul Small] and Chris [Morgan] – they were here when I was playing. Obviously more and more new people are joining the club because it’s getting bigger, but it’s still the passion and the feelings are the same.
“It’s really nice to see that you keep that basis and you keep this family way they are doing things and getting better and bigger at the same time. The future is bright.”
“I really believe in the personal relations between the players, the staff and the workers and everybody involved in the club. It’s the key of performing this way. I’m seeing from inside that they think the same way, which is really nice.”