The Grand Resort Hotel and Spa, situated at the foot of the Alps in the picturesque Swiss town of Bad Ragaz, is the last word in luxury.
Perfectly manicured lawns, elegant staff and magnificent facilities – some rooms are so big they even have their own sauna – it is the kind of establishment you would expect Premier League footballers to stay in; the prices, you can imagine, are not for those of a sensitive disposition.
For those unaccustomed to such trappings, The Grand Resort could easily prove something of distraction and it would be understandable if some of the younger members of Liverpool’s travelling squad felt overwhelmed by these opulent surrounds.
In a funny way, though, all the amenities that are on offer to the Reds here could be educational; for while some enjoy all the spin-offs that come from being on the books of a Premier League team, they don’t necessarily want to put in the work to make it happen.
With that in mind, then, Roy Hodgson will be watching intently as his reign as Liverpool manager begins with a friendly against the Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal, across the border in Austria.
Given the Reds’ A-listers are resting weary limbs following their exploits at the World Cup finals, opportunity knocks for novices such as Martin Kelly and Steven Irwin, Thomas Ince, Nathan Eccleston, Stephen Darby and Jonjo Shelvey.
Hodgson has an open mind as to what to expect against Al Hilal – who are managed by Eric Gerets and have already played two friendlies – but the one thing he does want to see is players scraping, fighting and stretching every sinew to show they can play a part in the future.
A game in the Europa League, after all, is just around the corner and as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Dirk Kuyt will not be match fit for the first leg on July 29, some of these young men could find themselves involved against either FC Rabotnicki or Mika. Hodgson said: “I would love to start off with a win but it might be too much to ask.
“If I wanted my first game as Liverpool manager to be a winning one, I would not have chosen to play a team of Al Hilal’s quality with what is basically a Liverpool reserve team.
“I have got to be realistic.
“I am not going to make any statements that people think I should be making. I will only expect to start winning games when I think the Liverpool team resembles something like it should be.
“The game against Al Hilal is an opportunity for some of those players who have probably never been given a chance before. They might find it hard to get another chance when the top players come back.
“But, at the same time, it is a chance for them to try and do something. I will be very interested to see how it unfolds. I will be very happy if we win but if we don’t, I won’t be in a position where I will be losing sleep.”
That might be true but, clearly, Hodgson would be a little more relaxed had just a little bit longer to prepare for that first competitive fixture 12 days from now; with that in mind, the fixtures against Al Hilal, FC Grasshopper and Kaiserslautern assume a different dimension.
“What has made things problematic is the fact we have to play competitive football on July 29,” said Hodgson. “The draw has not been kind to us in terms of the opponents we will face and where we have got to travel to.
“But we will get a team out and we will do the best that we can. And this is a chance for them to stake a claim – that’s what these games are for. I’m sure these players won’t let the club down and they will work very hard.
“They will give their all to show they deserve to wear this Liverpool shirt. Our fans can rest assured that these players won’t let them down but, at the same time, you can’t set a barrier that you know people won’t be able to jump over.
“That’s what we are tending to do with these three matches. We are setting the barrier so high with the quality of the opposition we are playing, it would be unfair to ask a 17-year-old, like Thomas Ince, to do.”
Ince’s presence in the travelling party is something that has left Hodgson doing a double take, as it wasn’t very long ago that he was coaching his father in Italy, when Liverpool’s former captain played for Inter Milan.
“That bothers me,” Hodgson said with a wry smile. “I can’t pretend to be 40 any longer. I remember Thomas back in 1995, as a small boy running around, kicking balls in his Dad’s apartment. He made sure Paul didn’t get too much piece after training.
“He probably did his best to make sure Paul stayed fit! But I have been impressed with him. He is a talented young man; in an ideal world, you wouldn’t be thrusting him into matches of this calibre but, who knows? It might be very good for him.”
As it will be for Hodgson; there is only so much a manager can ascertain from coaching sessions on the training ground and there is little doubt a contest against a side the new boss has a great respect for will serve a purpose.
Slowly but surely Hodgson is becoming attuned to life at Anfield and after the 90 minutes with Al Hilal are over, he will know even more.
“Things have been very good so far,” said Hodgson. “We are staying in an exceptional place, a marvellous hotel with wonderful training facilities. The players are working very hard with the new fitness regime.
“It is a young, inexperienced squad but they are working very hard. In the two and a half weeks I have been pushing them, I have been very satisfied with what I have seen.”
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