Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson says the Premier League needs a winter break as they prepare for their clash at Blackpool.
Bloomfield Road has no undersoil heating and is therefore exposed to the threat of sub-zero temperatures, despite the Seasiders' best efforts to maintain a playable surface.
That only reinforces Hodgson's belief that a winter break is long overdue in England.
"I don't understand the opposition to the winter break," said the Reds boss, who has also managed in Scandinavia and Italy.
"I come from European football where winter breaks are a necessity and for many years has been accepted as the norm.
"The insistence everyone plays all of their football month after month without a break and then spend over three months without a game I don't understand any more.
"For me it would make sense to divide the calendar up so you play a certain number of matches, have a break and then play some more matches."
