Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool are using rugby tackle bags to help their star goalkeeper Alisson acclimate to the bruising nature of Premier League penalty areas.
The summer arrival from Roma enjoyed an uneventful debut in the club's 4-0 thrashing of West Ham United at Anfield on opening weekend, but Crystal Palace's physical attributes and the raucous atmosphere of Selhurst Park may offer a different test Monday.
Klopp admitted he's employing tactics from a different sport in order to bring the Brazilian stopper up to speed on what he could face in his debut season in England.
"It is not rugby, it is goalkeeper training," the manager said, as quoted by The Guardian's Andy Hunter. "When Loris (Karius) came he did it and, of course, Alisson is doing it as well. It is normal goalkeeper training. It makes sense to do it because the six-yard area is not a safety box for a goalkeeper ... It is busy, we do it often so that the goalkeeper gets used to that."
Former first-choice 'keepers Karius and Simon Mignolet both received criticism during their time as the No. 1 stopper for struggling to adequately deal with aerial balls into the box. However, it's not just Alisson being trained on how to deal with such situations. Klopp explained that his entire team is being guided on how to assist the 25-year-old in the box as he looks to make life easier for the man who briefly became the world's most expensive goalkeeper this summer before Chelsea acquired Kepa Arrizabalaga.
"It is not that the goalkeeper has to change completely for this league," Klopp said. "We have to help him, too, in situations. There is not just one player responsible for something - we have to have the right formation around set pieces. It is not solely about Alisson, but the whole team."