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Arne Slot is greeted by Wayne Lineker as the Liverpool boss enjoys some time off in Ibiza(Image: www.instagram.com/waynelineker/)

While the players themselves were relaxing with a barbecue on the deck of a yacht in the Dubai creek, Arne Slot was being serenaded as a Premier League champion in Ibiza.

That's how it's been for Liverpool in recent days as they continue enjoying the fruits of their labour.

Winning a second league title in five years with four games to spare will have that effect and while the club in places 17th to second will have been fretting about where they might eventually land with six more points to play for, the party has been underway at Anfield for over a fortnight now.

Slot granted his players some time off between the Chelsea and the Arsenal game with the players not reporting back for duty until the Friday, while everyone was also given some further downtime immediately after the 2-2 draw with Mikel Arteta's Gunners.

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Captain Virgil van Dijk simply laughed when he was asked privately if he was Dubai-bound after the game but the videos of the players enjoying themselves on board the yacht showed a team in full decompression mode as a wildly successful campaign draws to a close.

With eight days between the Arsenal game and the visit to Brighton & Hove on Monday (May 19), the chance for the players and coaching staff to switch off is a smart tactic from Slot.

While the players are able to further build team spirit and foster camaraderie while on holiday, it also serves a purpose that could stand them in good stead for the early months of next season.

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Rather than jetting out on their own summer holidays with their respective families, the time away from the training ground this week has allowed the squad to soak in what it means to be champions, alongside their team-mates who helped them get there.

That can only be a healthy thing when it's time to dig deep once more next season.

The lack of an international tournament this summer will mean the players are afforded a proper break of around three weeks or so, but with the worldwide football calendar edging ever nearer to a 12-month fixture list for those who represent their nations, the chance to reflect on what they achieved right now is entirely fair.

While supporters often see the arrival of a new season as a chance to start a refresh, it doesn't necessarily mean a players energy levels are immediately topped back up to full, given the year-long list of games many now play, so being able to rest and enjoy their time off where possible will be a useful tool for Slot and his players.

Having invited Gary Lineker to the AXA Training Centre for a game of padel and a sit-down interview earlier this year, Slot might not have expected he would be being introduced to the former Match of the Day presenter's socialite brother Wayne quite so soon.

But as Slot marked his time off with an evening at Ibiza's O Beach earlier this week, that's exactly what happened as the surreal scenes of Liverpool's post-title celebrations continued.

“Caption this #ynwa”, wrote Wayne Lineker, who owns the luxury beach club.

"Eagle-eyed viewers will spot a certain Premiership-winning manager," wrote former Eastenders actor Dean Gaffney on his own Instagram and while O Beach has become the go-to destination for stars looking to party, it's unlikely to have ever been frequented by a Premier League-winning boss.

Certainly not while the campaign has been ongoing at least.

How much of an incentive the opportunity to enjoy some rare holiday time during the campaign was for the Liverpool squad, only those on the inside will know, but there is more to end-of-season wind-down than initially meets the eye.

And in a world where footballers are scrutinised more harshly than ever, Slot and his players need to answer only to their fans, who seem totally on board with the celebratory mood that has gripped the squad in the last couple of weeks.

Liverpool will be back at work later this week to go through their pre-match preparations for Monday's visit to Brighton and while the scenes of this week might point towards the host being made favourites, Slot won't have allowed anything that will have overstepped the mark as he targets the six points that will end the season with a flourish.

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For all the festivites that are clearly already underway, the biggest party still awaits Liverpool, later this month.


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