Arne Slot watched Liverpool from the stands as we managed to beat Southampton, meaning that Johnny Heitinga was in charge on the sidelines.
The former Everton defender was entrusted with passing the messages to the players from their head coach and the rest of the coaching team.
One such moment involved Darwin Nunez, with Lewis Steele from Mail Sport reporting: ‘Johnny Heitinga just called over Darwin Nunez and gave him a kiss on the forehead, several pats on the bum and some tactical instructions.’
Given a first half yellow card and a second half goal, it was a tale of two halves for our No.9 and one that showcased his ability to find the back of the net for the Reds.
Johnny Heitinga wanted to get the best out of Darwin Nunez
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)We saw a similar moment of tactical nuance from the Dutchman against Newcastle and it’s clear that he’s taking the role seriously, which is great.
The Uruguayan was clearly fired up after scoring for the Reds, especially if his celebration towards the away fans was anything to go by, meaning keeping him calm was beneficial.
This was at a crucial point in the second half when we had secured the lead but certainly didn’t want to go down to 10 men.
This word of encouragement to stay focussed and not get too hot headed may have been the swing to ensure a second yellow wasn’t picked up.
If that also meant that we had more chance of securing all three points, then it’s great to see the impact our interim boss had on proceedings.
You can view the post on Heitinga and Nunez via @LewisSteele_ on X:
Johnny Heitinga just called over Darwin Nunez and gave him a kiss on the forehead, several pats on the bum and some tactical instructions.
— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) March 8, 2025
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The post Heitinga’s bum pats and forehead kiss catch the eye of Anfield-present journalist appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
