Transfers between Bayern and Liverpool usually fall into the “spectacular” category. This does not include Mona Nemmer’s move. Wrongly?
Jürgen Klopp has already bought many great players during his time at Liverpool FC. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane can be named as examples. However, if you were to ask the German coach about his best commitment, it cannot be ruled out that his choice would fall on Mona Nemmer.
Nemmer is the Reds’ chief nutritionist. Klopp described her as a “defining figure for professional football” and “one of the most important parts” in the staff of the top English club. But not only the former BVB coach is enthusiastic about Nemmer, the players also admire their work – and rely on them.
“Mona and the chefs play a big role in our success story,” said van Dijk, for example. His defense colleague Joe Gomez stated that Nemmer and her team had “completely changed” his understanding of food and nutrition. Andrew Robertson, who called Nemmer’s skills “outstanding”, made a similar statement.
Nemmer already worked for FC Bayern and the DFB
Nemmer has been working in football since 2009. She was responsible for nutrition at Germany’s U21s for four years. She later worked at FC Bayern Munich – among other things in the team of star trainer Pep Guardiola. In 2016, she was poached by Klopp after he had only heard the best about the now 36-year-old from many quarters.
“I didn’t know Mona when I worked in Germany, but I had heard of her reputation,” revealed Klopp in the foreword to Nemmer’s new book A Taste of the Liverpool Way. “The importance of nutrition to professional athletes became more and more apparent and I wanted the best for Liverpool Football Club. I’ve interviewed players, coaches and managers from all over the world and the same name kept coming back: Mona!”
When she arrived in Liverpool, Nemmer and her team turned some things upside down. Before the first meeting with the team, however, the nervousness prevailed. There was a training camp in California.
“I arrived two or three days before the players,” recalled Nemmer SPOX and GOAL back. “When I landed at the latest, I knew that everything had to fit perfectly. If you want to change people’s diet, you have to be absolutely convincing. You only have one chance.”
So Nemmer thought a lot about how she could impress the stars. “One thing is to make a one-off impression, but I also wanted to quickly gain your trust in order to be able to achieve long-term success. A change in diet is often based on trust”, Nemmer continues.
She asked Klopp not to appear in the team. Instead, the team should be won over with the new food buffet – and the German apparently succeeded in doing so.
After a few days, Klopp noticed the first changes in the food culture. “There was a different atmosphere to be felt,” he said at the New York Times. “Usually the players eat as much as they can and as quickly as possible in preparation. But suddenly they were taking their time. They were clearly enjoying it.”
Nemmer: Four meals a day for Liverpool stars
Over time, Nemmer’s influence with the Reds grew, and today the players follow science-based, personalized nutrition plans. “My job is to make sure that every professional is eating the right food at the right time,” she said. “Nutrition is not just about eating, but also how the food is prepared and presented. The choice of food must be colorful and interesting, so there can be no wrong choice.”
Four meals a day are on the players’ diet plans – but Salah’s, for example, looks different than van Dijk’s or Mane’s. “That is what makes team sport, there are so many different types of athletes,” said Nemmer.
Logically, the plans are constantly being adapted. Here the nutrition team works closely with the medical analysts who comprehensively evaluate each unit. The aim of Nemmer is, however, that the players themselves acquire more and more knowledge over time so that in the future they can “decide on their own which food makes sense at which point in time”.
Nemmer is available 24/7. She takes time for one-on-one conversations, but also offers workshops for players with their families. “It has to be,” continued the expert. “Nutrition has long been part of daily work. The whole thing is given a lot more attention in the football business. Players are open to the matter and understand how important the right food can be – that makes my job a lot easier.”
Based on these words, Nemmer’s nervousness at the beginning of office seems to have been inappropriate. It has long since won the trust of the players, so its share in the titles of the past few years should definitely be taken into account. For that reason alone, she should be one of Klopp’s top commitments.
