Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool Weathered Winds, Organized Opponent In Swansea Win

Jurgen Klopp felt Liverpool could be hugely satisfied with its afternoon’s work after recording a 1-0 win over Swansea City at Anfield and welcoming Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge back to the field.

James Milner’s second-half penalty settled the contest in difficult weather conditions, with strong winds having an impact on proceedings.

Nevertheless, the result elevated the Reds into sixth place in the Barclays Premier League table, just four points off fourth-place Arsenal.

“It was good — it was good in many parts of the game,” Klopp reflected in his postgame press conference. “First of all, we accepted the circumstances, and that was important. It was difficult and both teams had to play with the influence of the wind, but we had more ball possession, so for us it was a little bit more difficult.

“We played against an opponent that were very, very organized — I think it was their best game in terms of defensive organization in their last two or three (matches) … ”

A solid afternoon at the office was capped off by the welcome sight of Henderson and Sturridge taking to the field for the first time under Klopp’s management.

The England pair were introduced into the action as second-half substitutes, and the manager said “it was good news for the big Liverpool family.

“They are two very important players for us, and they’re back in the race. They did well for their situation and from where they’ve come from after a long break with difficult injuries.

“Now they are back, and that’s really good for us.”

Reflecting further on the difficult conditions at Anfield, Klopp admitted both teams were forced to try and adapt to lessen the impact of the gale-force winds.

“I was only on the pitch during the warm-up but it was really crazy because it changed all the time,” he said. “It was sometimes no wind and then (a big gust), so for both teams it was really difficult tonight.”

The victory over Swansea was Liverpool’s sixth win from their last seven outings – and the games will continue to come thick and fast with the Reds now gearing up for consecutive away trips to Southampton, Newcastle United and FC Sion.