Ryan Babel is ready to face the cauldron of the Anfield derby this Sunday, after conquering his fear of ice cold baths!
Liverpool’s £11m summer signing is relishing the red hot atmosphere that the 207th Merseyside derby will generate, after explaining how manager Rafa Benitez’s quirky approach has helped him start to reproduce the form he showed at Ajax.
“I’m learning so much here and again I can see that it’s often the small details that make the difference,” he said.
“After a match we have to stand in an ice bath for five minutes. You can be affected with cramp or lactic acid, and that causes small tears in the muscles, but by applying cold water it repairs the damage immediately.
“During pre-season I had to do it after every training session and it was so cold, really horrible. In the beginning I could only suffer it for half a minute and sometimes I stood with my tracksuit and socks on or I tried slyly to miss it.
“Even during training I was thinking about the dreaded cold water, but now I’m used to it – and it certainly works as I’m more flexible and feeling a lot better the next day.”
After an inconsistent start to his Anfield career, Babel has now started nine of the Reds’ last 10 matches, although he has only completed one of those games and added: “Of course I have wanted to play more, and that’s normal.
“Sometimes I have been very disappointed, but Benitez has his reasons. He always rotates and I knew that before so I accept it.
“It’s understandable I’m not playing 90 minutes. Physically I’m not yet at the point that I’m able to play 90 minutes in the crazy tempo of the Premier League.
“Rafa Benitez said that he signed me because he wanted more players in the squad who can get past opponents. Of course my status as a young talent carries certain expectations but Liverpool see me as a rough diamond that needs to be cut and polished.”
Liverpool’s £11m summer signing is relishing the red hot atmosphere that the 207th Merseyside derby will generate, after explaining how manager Rafa Benitez’s quirky approach has helped him start to reproduce the form he showed at Ajax.
“I’m learning so much here and again I can see that it’s often the small details that make the difference,” he said.
“After a match we have to stand in an ice bath for five minutes. You can be affected with cramp or lactic acid, and that causes small tears in the muscles, but by applying cold water it repairs the damage immediately.
“During pre-season I had to do it after every training session and it was so cold, really horrible. In the beginning I could only suffer it for half a minute and sometimes I stood with my tracksuit and socks on or I tried slyly to miss it.
“Even during training I was thinking about the dreaded cold water, but now I’m used to it – and it certainly works as I’m more flexible and feeling a lot better the next day.”
After an inconsistent start to his Anfield career, Babel has now started nine of the Reds’ last 10 matches, although he has only completed one of those games and added: “Of course I have wanted to play more, and that’s normal.
“Sometimes I have been very disappointed, but Benitez has his reasons. He always rotates and I knew that before so I accept it.
“It’s understandable I’m not playing 90 minutes. Physically I’m not yet at the point that I’m able to play 90 minutes in the crazy tempo of the Premier League.
“Rafa Benitez said that he signed me because he wanted more players in the squad who can get past opponents. Of course my status as a young talent carries certain expectations but Liverpool see me as a rough diamond that needs to be cut and polished.”
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