Thomas Gronnemark said Liverpool had Sunday League skills in 2018.
Rush The Kop writer Chris Stonadge spoke to freelance throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark – who played a part in Liverpool’s return to success under Klopp.
When he arrived at Anfield, the standard for ball retention at throw-ins was comparable to something you see in the lower levels of the game.
That’s not a criticism of Liverpool or Jurgen Klopp, it was something that wasn’t thought about as important or an area that could be improved.
In an interview with Total Sport, Gronnemark spoke about what he told the players on his arrival. One concept the Dane dismissed was that throw-ins are ‘marginal gains’.
"“What I say to sceptics is exactly what I said to the Liverpool players in my first session with them.“There are normally between 40-60 throw-ins in a match. Teams lose possession in over 50% of ‘under pressure’ throw-ins, where players are marked.“If you had the same percentage with your feet, you would be playing Sunday League.”"
Gronnemark began his niche career mainly focusing on long throw-ins, but in 2008 began his course on throw-in retention from all distances.
He had spells at clubs in Denmark before moving to Europe with various clubs, including the Reds, and MLS side Atlanta United.
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Gronnemark worked with Brentford for two seasons, who wanted to improve their ability from long throws.
In 2018, the Dane finally realised his dream to coach in the Premier League after Klopp called him.
"“It was of course, totally crazy because my biggest dream has always been to coach in the Premier League at a top club like Liverpool.“He said to me ‘we had a fantastic season in 2017/18, but we were so bad at the throw-ins, we can’t keep hold of the ball.'”"
From there Gronnemark was invited to the training session for a meeting, which turned into a job interview.
He signed a two-year deal in 2018 to be a throw-in specialist at Anfield.
It’s an area that isn’t considered much, but when you look at it from that point of view it makes total sense. Why would any team fighting for domestic and European honours want to give up possession from something that happens so often.
The Reds were criticised for their stance, but those who mocked now have egg on their face. Under Klopp and Gronnemark, the club have managed to claim the Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
You can check the full video on TotalSport.