Liverpool Hire Specialist Throw-in Coach as Jurgen Klopp Looks to Advance Marginal Gains

Liverpool have employed the services of a specialist throw-ins coach, as they look to eke out any advantage possible over their Premier League rivals. 

Thomas Gronnemark is currently working with the youngsters in the Reds' academy, but will be pushed up to play a part in training the first team if Jurgen Klopp and co are impressed with the results. 

The Mirror report that Gronnemark claims to have added 20 goals to the two Danish top flight teams he has coached, with his 15 years of experience and extensive work in video analysis - which he uses to make football's least heralded set pieces more dangerous. 

Gronnemark himself has launched the ball over 50 meters in a successful attempt to break the throw-in world record, and gained his greatest success so far with Danish side Midtjylland - whose clinically analysed set pieces took them on a surprise Europa League run which was only stopped by a Marcus Rashford-inspired Manchester United. 

He said: “Midtjylland have showed that the long throw-in can be a weapon, if you can do it with the correct technique, precision and tactical awareness. It’s very important that it’s a flat throw-in, because if it’s too high it’s easy to defend. If you can make a long throw-in precise and flat, together with some tactical aspects, then it’s much easier to score.”

Fans of English football will remember Rory Delap's aerial bombardment of opposition penalty areas with Stoke, with opposition sides frequently choosing to concede corner kicks rather than giving Delap a chance to launch a bullet throw into their penalty area.