There was a sense of intrigue among Liverpool's squad when Jurgen Klopp gathered them together early one morning last August.
Liverpool had travelled to Evian, as they had done 12 months earlier, for what Klopp regards as the most important week of pre-season. There are no distractions in this quiet town on the banks of Lake Geneva and intense double sessions are framed to prepare them for the new campaign. It is the time for work.
Klopp likes to introduce different elements to the routine and this was very much the case when he presented Sebastian Steudtner, the world champion high wave surfer from Germany, to talk to the group at their hotel.