Jurgen Klopp believes it will take time for both Liverpool and Manchester City to get the best out of their marquee summer signings of Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland. Klopp says he has been keeping a close eye on City’s pre-season ahead of Saturday’s Community Shield and reckons both his team and their title rivals will need to get adjusted to how their big-money strikers operate in the final third.
Jurgen Klopp said: “We watched the Bayern game obviously and it was not too different but it was good and Erling scored a ‘Manchester City goal’, like a square ball in the six-yard box and that is so far it didn’t change a lot. They have the same problem we have: they are not used to Erling’s natural runs just as we are not used to Darwin’s natural runs yet. When Darwin offers a run we give him the ball all the time, which is not helpful because often a guy who stretches the opponent is there to create space between the lines, these kinds of things. I am pretty sure they will need time for Erling but that doesn’t mean he cannot score early like he did in the first game against Bayern. Most of the things look like last year, how they set up the press, how flexible they are in their own possession, it is good, very very good but so far no real change is obvious.”
The addition of Nunez and the exit of Mane could see something of a new-look forward line established at Anfield as January signing Diaz also gets set for his first full campaign in English football, but Klopp says the Reds do not need to reinvent themselves after going so close to the quadruple following victories in both domestic cups last term.
Jurgen Klopp added: “First of all, we spent money as well. We should not forget that. The plan is always, we lost three first-team players, I don’t want to forget anyone, so far it was Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino; all very important players for us. We brought in three, we want to create space for our young boys from last year to step into the void. They are useful for us. We have been together for a while. We know each other and we know what we expect from each other. We had a big meeting where I told the boys what I expect from them next year. I want to use the togetherness we have, the atmosphere we have in the team, the experience we made for better. That is how it is. We can grow closer together, we can be clearer in the things we do. The things we do are good. Can we do it better? Yes. Will that always lead to a better result? That is not possible because we won a lot of games but performance wise we can definitely improve and that is what we try. We want to create resilience and a fighting spirit. Being angry is important to fight against the outside world in this specific moment. All these things we can do. We don’t know where it will lead us but we know it will improve us, based on the things we know are important when we bring them on the pitch. We want to be the team no one wants to play against because when they have the ball, they have pressure everywhere and when we have the ball. But we have to have more consistency and then when we have the ball, we have to create new ways, we have to help the boys with positioning, not invent ourselves new, that is not necessary but include new things here and there. That is what we were really working on. That is what I was so happy with [Salzburg], the last half hour because it was a real whirlwind, it was really good, we didn’t score, I know that but the way we put them under pressure on the defending side was really special and I was really happy with that.”
