Jurgen Klopp did a pretty good job of talking down Liverpool‘s chances not only of beating Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday but also of keeping pace with their rivals in the future.
Klopp may have been attempting to induce some complacency on City’s part when he described them as “the best team in the world”, Pep Guardiola as “the best manager in the world” and Erling Haaland as “the best striker in the world”.
But he also made the stark admission that his record buy Darwin Nunez would have scored more goals had he been playing for the smooth-running City machine rather than being thrown into Liverpool’s worst start for a decade.
And Klopp went on to admit that it was impossible for the Merseyside club to compete with the financial backing of City’s Abu Dhabi owners and instead will need to continue to be shrewd in the transfer market by spotting young, talented players with the potential to become stars.
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“You won’t like the answer,” he said. “Nobody can compete. You have the best team in the world and you put in the best striker.
“We cannot act like them. It is not possible. It is just clear… and again you know the answer. There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially. It’s legal and everything, fine, but they can do what they want.
“We have to look at it and say ‘we need that and we need that and we have to look here and make it younger, and here’s a prospect and here’s a talent’ and that is what you have to do. And you compete with them.
“It is not a problem at all for me. You all know it, it is not possible to deal with that and it will be like this. I heard Eddie Howe say there is no ceiling for Newcastle and he is absolutely right, there is no ceiling.”
Meanwhile, Phil Foden has signed a three-year contract extension at City, aimed at keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until at least 2027.
The 22-year-old England international had less than two years left on his previous deal but has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal.
The player is on course for his best goalscoring season for City, with seven in his first 13 appearances this season, and he says that increasing his output has been a prime aim this season: “I’ve been scoring a lot more goals so hopefully I can keep going in that direction. I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself.
“Obviously, I have little goals in my head, but I try not to think too much about them because sometimes it can make you try too hard. I just try to keep focused and keep performing on the pitch.”
Guardiola was criticised for not letting Foden off the leash sooner when he was a teenage prodigy, but the player himself credits the Catalan with his evolution into one of the Blues’ star names: “I think he’s made me ten times the player I was. He’s improved all aspects of my game and I’m just thankful to have him here.”
World Cup doubt for James
Reece James’s World Cup dream is in jeopardy after Chelsea confirmed his damaged knee will be examined by a specialist this weekend.
Club manager Graham Potter refused to consider the “Doomsday scenario” of the 22-year-old missing out for England in the finals in Qatar next month.
But the injury James sustained in Chelsea’s Champions League win at AC Milan on Tuesday night, which was not initially thought to be serious, now appears to be exactly that.
The right-back flew back to London on Thursday on a budget airline but a scan is understood to have detected ligament damage that might usually require a lay-off of between six and eight weeks
Surgery is another unwanted possibility for both Potter and England manager Gareth Southgate, who had James down as a starter for the first group game, against Iran on November 21. Kyle Walker of Manchester City, Southgate’s mist experienced option at right-back, is also unlikely to be fit for the start of the tournament.
“It is pretty normal that as soon there is a bit of discomfort, which takes 24 or 48 hours to settle down, you get it checked out properly,” Potter said.
“He is due to see a specialist over the weekend so until we get that information the rest would be speculation. We will wait and see.
“He said yesterday [Thursday] that he felt not too bad but until you get these things checked you never know.
“There is no point in looking into the Doomsday Scenario yet, we just need to make sure it’s OK and then go forward.
“He has been in fantastic form for us so fingers crossed we will wait for good news.”
Potter’s Chelsea glow-up
Chelsea manager Potter treated himself to a new haircut to go with the beard he has added since his early days as Brighton boss.
TV viewers can check him out when the Blues’ clash at Aston Villa is broadcast live on Sky on Sunday.
But Potter revealed he did not know what a certain term meant when he was first told he was looking sharper than he had done previously.
He said: “I don’t like seeing myself on telly, I get sweaty palms and I’d rather go to the dentist to be honest.
“Somebody said to me the other day I’d had a ‘glow-up’ and I had no idea. Perhaps I’m growing into my face, like a fine wine.
“I had a hair cut from someone that cuts the lads’ hair so that’s probably made a bit of a difference, I don’t know. How much was it? More than I thought it would be, let’s put it that way!”
Potter’s penchant for polo-neck jumpers has also been noted by style gurus.
He said: “I’m not that interesting so people may as well talk about my jumper.”
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