Jurgen Klopp and his heavy-metal football was, unfortunately, not on show as Liverpool played out a sometimes-exciting, but mostly-cagey goalless draw with Tottenham in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Excitement levels at White Hart Lane was at fever pitch as Klopp took charge for Liverpool for the first time since being appointed as the replacement for Brendan Rodgers, but apart from a bright 10-15 minute spell to open the game, Liverpool were pretty disappointing, with Spurs also unable to find the mojo that tore Manchester City apart at the same ground not too long ago.
Liverpool started the game well, with that pressing working for them, harrying Tottenham out of their stride, and leaving the home team a worried(ish) bunch.
Had the one clear chance they created in those opening 10-15 minutes, who knows, we might have had a different Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool debut. However, Divock Origi, the only striker available for Klopp, headed onto the crossbar, when he really should have hit the back of the net and the wait went on for the first Liverpool goal of the Klopp era.
Post those 10-15 minutes, it was all Tottenham really in the first half, as the home team took control, much like they were expected to, perhaps, heading into this game, considering the lengthy injury list that Klopp has to deal with.
Spurs would have wondered how they did not go into halftime with a lead as well, as Clinton N'Jie, in for Nacer Chadli in the first half, twice, Harry Kane and Delle Alli all came close, with only a couple of outstanding saves from Simon Mignolet – one of them to deny N'Jie, who looked nailed-on to score with this outside of his right foot was world-class – and a really-good block from Mamadou Sakho keeping the score at 0-0.
Mauricio Pochettino would have wanted Tottenham to continue taking the game to Liverpool in the second half, but, instead, what we got was a cagey second 45, with neither team showing enough imagination to break the deadlock.
Klopp has clearly had a word to say about tightening up at the back, and curbing those poor passes in their own half, and with Tottenham also unable to pick the lock – Christian Eriksen just wasn't at the top of his game, and neither was Philippe Coutinho for Liverpool – the game petered out.
Yes, there were a couple of ooh and aah moments towards the end, with Mignolet again called into play to prevent Kane from scoring again at White Hart Lane, but truth be told this was a game that neither team will look back at fondly, even if it will forever be remembered as Jurgen Klopp's first match as Liverpool manager.
Not the greatest of starts for Klopp, but far from the worst either.
