Liverpool legend: Start early, get that ‘football brain’ in our system

SINGAPORE – Hailing from Finland where football isn’t the No. 1 sport, Liverpool great Jari Litmanen knows very well the hard work it would entail for a traditionally non-football country like the Philippines to grow the beautiful game.

“I try to do that first in Finland then I come back and tell you,” Litmanen, Finland’s most capped player and top goal scorer, joked when asked for his advice on how to develop the sport.

Football takes a backseat to ice hockey in Litmanen’s homeland but he has gained success playing professionally both locally and overseas.

“It’s a hard work. You need to do that on the basic level – working hard, training for games, developing the tactical skills, knowing how to do things right. But it has to start in the early years; you have to get that ‘football brain’ in your system, then develop the technical abilities,” he said in an interview arranged by Standard Chartered Bank.

“For players, it should be more than a pure habit, there really should be passion,” he added.

Litmanen and fellow Liverpool legend Steve McManaman chatted with a small group of mediamen on the eve of the Castlewood Battle of the Reds 2015 match between Liverpool Masters and Manchester United Masters.

The 44-year-old Litmanen, who suited up for the Reds in 2001-02, and McManaman, who spent nine colorful years with LFC in the 1990s, shared their thoughts on the current squad, which sits at 10th with 17 points after 12 matches.

The two said new manager Jurgen Klopp should be given time to make his impact with Liverpool. Klopp took the reins only last month and will likely make some personnel tinkering in the transfer window in January.

“We won’t really know how well he’ll do until he can bring his own type of players in,” said McManaman. “We’ll wait and see, really. But I think they are where they are at the moment and they need to improve real quickly.”

‘This is not his team yet, although he’s probably done some different things in training, maybe present new ideas during games. But it’s a process and it takes time,” said Litmanen.

They hope the Reds will finish in the Top 4 this season.

“They’re middle of the table (now); they have to be better than so hopefully they’ll finish in the (UEFA) Champions League because there’s a lot of teams shoveling this season. But they need to improve a lot and in January, hopefully they’ll be given funds to buy and bring in some players and then we’ll see how they’ll go,” said McManaman.

Litmanen and McManaman attended Standard Chartered’s “Legends Up Close” cocktails for clients at Grand Hyatt Hotel. The event is part of efforts to help promote the sport of football in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, according to Mai Sangalang, Standard Chartered Philippines’ head of corporate affairs, brand and marketing.