In Sunday’s match against Manchester City, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledges that he cannot afford to place too much emphasis on the champions’ in-form striker Erling Haaland since there are too many other dangers.
The 20 goals scored by the international player from Norway this season, including 15 goals in the Premier League, will be a serious threat at Anfield.
In recent years, City and Liverpool have dominated the English top division, but Klopp’s team has gotten off to a sluggish start this year, winning only two of its first eight league games.
The Liverpool team is mired in 10th position in the standings, already 13 points behind City in second place, who has scored 33 goals in just nine Premier League games.
READ ALSO: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid On The Verge Of Early Champions League Exits
Haaland was held scoreless by Liverpool in the FA Community Shield, the season’s opening match, but the 22-year-old has since scored in all but one of City’s games in all competitions.
“Like always, when you play against the best striker in the world, you have to make sure he doesn’t get that many balls,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“That is what you have to defend before you come into the challenge with him, so that is what we will try.
“But against City, the problem is if you close Haaland down with too many players, then you open up gaps for all the other world-class players, so that will not make life easier.
“It’s a challenge, a football problem, but we try and find solutions.”
When Haaland was a young 19-year-old playing for Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, Liverpool faced him twice in the Champions League, and he scored in one of the games.
Even at such young age, according to Klopp, his potential was “crazy.”
“Physically, he sets new standards, the combination of being really physical and technical. His orientation on the pitch is exceptional – he knows always where the decisive gaps are and is barely offside – so many things for making a striker.
“(He has) some of the best players around him in the world in setting up goals and finding the right moments for the passes: Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, (Riyad) Mahrez – they are all really good at that. So it’s a perfect fit, no doubt about that.”
