Liverpool FC are back, after a disappointing end to last season the Reds reported for training at the AXA Training Center recently. Fans have been excited to see their favourites back in Red, and also catch a glimpse of the new arrivals.
Pictures from pre-season training were welcomed by Reds fans, however, one featuring Ben Davies has seemingly reignited a rather popular conspiracy theory.
Its origin can be traced back to 2020, more specifically to an article by Russia-based Journalist Alan Moore. In it exists a startling claim, which states that no less than 63% of the Reds squad is currently affected by Asthma. With no verifiable sources cited aside from one supposedly ‘close to the club’, it’s easy to question the legitimacy of the stat.
The article also goes on to suggest that the Reds’ heavy-metal, high-intensity style of play is dependent on substance ‘super-dosing’, with the aforementioned substances being caffeine and, conveniently enough, asthma inhalers. There exists no firm evidence of inhalers enhancing an athlete’s performance, which should’ve been enough to rubbish the claims.
Unfortunately, it was too late, rival fans caught onto it.
And when placed into the context of Jurgen Klopp’s practical and data-based approach to the game, users online felt that perhaps there was a bit of substance to the theory.
The ‘asthmatic’ propaganda has been a common theme online ever since, and it saw a rejuvenation when defender Ben Davies was spotted carrying 2 white boxes. Fans embarked on a quick Googling session and quickly discovered that the boxes were indeed Asthma medication.
Naturally, the theorists were out in full flow, and Liverpool fans even seemed to embrace it. It’s highly likely that the 26-year-old actually requires them, but there’s no convincing Football Twitter of that possibility.
That said, the banter is still pretty entertaining.