Jurgen Klopp got psychological edge over Tuchel before FA Cup final penalty shoot-out

A fascinating Twitter thread has been published which breaks down how Jurgen Klopp managed to give Liverpool the psychological advantage over Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea just before the penalty shoot-out.

Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties after Alisson saved from Mason Mount before Kostas Tsimikas converted the winning spot-kick.

It was the same outcome as February’s Carabao Cup final between the two sides. With nothing to separate the Premier League heavyweights following a goalless 120 minutes, the final was eventually decided on penalties – and the Merseyside outfit, just as they did three months ago, prevailed.

Klopp reserved praise for neuro11 – a Germany-based neuroscience company who have now helped Liverpool win back-to-back shoot-outs – in his post-match press conference.

“We work together with a company, four guys, their name is neuro11,” Klopp said of the firm, who monitor brain activity to optimise player performance, per ESPN.

“They got in contact with us two years ago, I think I was aware of it [then]. One of them is a neuroscientist and he said ‘we can train penalty shooting’ Really. And I said: ‘sounds interesting, come over.’

“German guy, we met. We worked together and this trophy is for them like the Carabao Cup was.”

Whether neuro11 had influence on Klopp’s approach to penalties is unclear, but a superb Twitter thread from football psychologist Geir Jordet (@GeirJordet) shows the Liverpool manager deserves huge credit for perfectly controlling the situation.

Let’s take a closer look at the thread:

Jordet: “Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties in the FA Cup final. A penalty shootout is a psychological game starting with how the manager communicates with his players after the final whistle. Klopp & Tuchel spent