RETO ZIEGLER BELIEVES Liverpool’s mental weakness is to blame for them surrendering a lead to draw 1-1 with Sion in Thursday’s Europa League clash at Anfield.
Adam Lallana gave Brendan Rodgers’ side the lead after just four minutes but Sion responded later in the half through Ebenezer Assifuah to claim a share of the spoils.
Having needed penalties to overcome Carlisle United in the League Cup last week, Liverpool have now won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions, and Sion defender Ziegler confirmed his side were keen to exploit the home side’s lack of confidence.
“We were disappointed with the first 15 minutes,” he told Uefa.com.
“It was not the best way to begin a game, but after that we were calm on the ball – we didn’t just kick it away, we tried to play football. We have quality up front and we showed that.
“We knew if we could put them under pressure and score a goal we’d have a chance, they are a bit weak mentally at the moment.”
Ziegler praised head coach Didier Tholot for his tactical approach to the game, adding: “Liverpool have a strong midfield, so the mistake teams make is they try to play through the middle where they are strong.
“Our coach was right – he showed us a lot of videos and Liverpool are always focused in the midfield, so we tried to play down the sides as we have pace and players like Carlitos, who is really strong in one-against-one situations.”
Sion now top the group with four points from their opening two games and Ziegler hopes to see Europe sit up and take notice of their performances.
“Our confidence is high but we know it’s a really tough group and our opponents know us a bit better now and will respect us more,” he said.
