One game-based drill during this session is particularly competitive, with Andy Robertson and first assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff vocally ribbing each other over the fine details of it.
Soon it’s back to base at the hotel to capture media content with Ekitike. The Frenchman poses for some very cool pictures to celebrate his switch from Eintracht Frankfurt and then delivers a first official interview. He self-deprecatingly insists his English is not great but forgive us Hugo, you’re wrong. It’s an interesting and engaging chat about his excitement for the future with the Reds.
As we reconvene in our media working room to plot out the release of the Ekitike content in the hours ahead, there’s a surprise from our local freelance photographer, Sean, in the form of pineapple buns, a classic treat in Hong Kong. Perfect with a cup of tea. We love Sean.
Elsewhere, there’s chatter about trying to source a Labubu doll here, amid the current craze for the collectible plush monsters. A note from my wife claims I would earn huge dad points if I return to Merseyside with one for my daughter…
Meanwhile, use of the elevators comes almost as a lucky dip for which colleagues and players you could end up riding with. We have been squeezed in with Mohamed Salah, for example, while a couple of crew keep bumping into Arne Slot, and another is an accessory to a chat with three of Liverpool’s Dutch contingent – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Hulshoff and Virgil van Dijk sharing words and smiles in their native language.
Now, it’s all eyes on matchday…
Meeting Milan
We spot two old friends catching up in the hotel on the morning of the game. Xavi Valero, who recently returned to Liverpool as head of first-team goalkeeper coaching, is deep in conversation with Lucas Leiva, one of our legends on tour. The Spaniard and the Brazilian were previously colleagues at the club between 2007 and 2010.
Speaking of Valero, we nab a first interview with him since he came back, while also sitting down with Van Bronckhorst to hear from him for the first time following his appointment as a coach under Slot. Keep an eye on Liverpoolfc.com for those to be published soon.
