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| Liverpool drew 0-0 with Sion to secure top spot |
LIVERPOOL might never have looked like slipping up as they claimed the draw they needed, but it was no surprise Jurgen Klopp was in a frosty mood.
The Liverpool manager saw his side struggle on a party frozen pitch at a stadium at the foot of the Alps in Switzerland.
In the end it was a case of job done as the Reds topped Group B to ensure a more favourable last-32 draw despite the surface.
But Klopp was quick to deliver an icy blast about the pitch which was frozen down one flank due to no under-soil heating.
He said: “The first thing to do was to show character and show you are prepared for a game like this. That’s what my team did and so I am very satisfied.
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| Liverpool's Roberto Firmino and Sion's Edimilson Fernandes jostle for possession |
“It was not our best football, we all know, but it’s an outdoor sport, but frozen ground is for other sports usually.
“In a tournament of this level, you shouldn’t be worrying about the ground – that’s not good, but now we’ve made it.
“Usually in a tournament of this level there should be heating for the ground.
“And that’s not good, but now we’ve played it, we have got through it, and if we have to come back in April I hope it will be warmer.”
The temperatures dipped below freezing and both sides’ performances were well below par – the visitors especially.
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| Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson made his first start after a long absence - lasting 77 minutes |
Klopp reckoned the pitch was more suited for other sports, but there was no end-to-end action you would see in ice hockey.
The goalkeepers must have suffered the most on such a cold evening as they barely had a save of note to make.
Divock Origi should have opened the scoring early on, but he swept away a cross like a defender rather than prod it into the net. With Liverpool already qualified and Sion needing just a point to secure their place in the last 32 a draw suited both – and it showed on the pitch or ice rink as Klopp hinted at.
Sion’s Edimilson Fernandes should have done better when the Liverpool defence retreated backwards, but he fired wide.
The second half continued in the same fashion as the first with both teams continually giving the ball away in the final third.
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| Brad Smith in action on his debut for Liverpool in Switzerland |
Klopp brought on Philippe Coutinho in a bid to spark some life into this clash, but the man nicknamed the ‘magician’ could not pull off a trick to brighten up this dire affair on his return from a hamstring injury.
When Geoffrey Mujangi Bia’s shot went out for a throw-in for the hosts it summed up how dreadful this had been.
The plus points for Liverpool were skipper Jordan Henderson lasting 77 minutes as his comeback continues and the impressive display from full-back Brad Smith on his first start.
Both sides are now through to the knockout stages, but they will have to be much better than this if they want to go any further.
Klopp added: “There are a lot of very good teams we can still get. It is like a small Champions’ League now, but we will look forward to it, and wait and see what happens.”
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