Liverpool cannot compete with Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp insists

The Reds manager believes that state-owned clubs - like City - have skewed what is possible

Richard Jolly
Senior Football Correspondent
Friday 14 October 2022 22:30 BST
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Have to try and limit Haaland - Klopp

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Jurgen Klopp said it is impossible for Liverpool to compete with Manchester City and the three clubs with limitless resources and no ceiling for what they can spend.

The Liverpool manager is preparing to face City on Sunday and feels Pep Guardiola’s ability to buy Erling Haaland has taken the reigning champions to a new level.

But he believes three state-owned clubs are able to do whatever they like financially as he said that City, who are owned by Sheikh Mansour, Newcastle, who were bought by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last year, and Paris Saint-Germain, who were purchased by the Emir of Qatar, are in a different world to everyone else.

Liverpool finished one point behind Guardiola’s team last season but Klopp said: “Nobody can compete with City. You have the best team in the world and you put in the best striker on the market, no matter what it costs you just do it.

“What does Liverpool do? We cannot act like them. It is not possible. Not possible. It is just clear. 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. They will say 'yeah but we have...' but it's exactly the fact.

“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 a prospect and here a talent.’ And that is what you have to do.

"I heard now that at Newcastle somebody [sporting director Dan Ashworth] said: 'There is no ceiling for this club'.

“Yes; he is right. He is absolutely right. There is no ceiling for Newcastle. Congratulations, but some other clubs have ceilings."

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