The problem with exhibition games is that the biggest names never show up, and the ones that do don't want to be there.

The pace barely rises above a canter and most players are already in holiday mode, and Wednesday night's match was no different. However, it wasn't Liverpool who were the guilty party, rather it was Sydney FC.

The Reds may not have bothered arriving in Australia until match day, and didn't so much as have a training session before their fly-in, fly-out 90-minute pay day, but to those watching, it was Sydney FC who appeared to be clock watching as they slumped to a lacklustre 3-0 loss.

It wasn't so much that they were outclassed, but that they showed little interest in testing the Reds. Their mentality wasn't helped by the absence of several stars: Milos Ninkovic, Milos Dimitrijevic, Jordy Buijs and recently departed marquee Filip Holosko, whose holidays were pre-booked.