No striker? That’s a luxury problem!

NOT ONLY are Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola outstanding managers, they express themselves more colourfully in a second language than many do in their native tongue.

For Klopp, the fuss about Manchester City not having a recognised striker is a ‘luxury problem’ given the champions have already posted 14 goalscorers this season.

Today’s combatants at Anfield have shared the last three Premier League titles. Liverpool are the only unbeaten team remaining and City outclassed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

The weakness for Guardiola is meant to be City’s lack of a natural finisher to replace Sergio Aguero. But City are doing it a different way, as Klopp has done with wide man Mo Salah outscoring anyone else at Liverpool.

Klopp almost snorts in derision when it is suggested Guardiola’s team lack a cutting edge. ‘They played like that last year and then Ilkay Gundogan arrived 500 times in the box and scored from close range. It would be easier if it was simply a case of only having to mark a No9,’ said Klopp.

‘City always have enough options in that decisive area around the penalty box. Which number the player has on his back is not important.

‘Teams try to have enough defenders but in the end they pass and seem to have a player free at the far post. That’s not because the opponents are dumb. It is because City do it really well. They pass the ball at the right moment, the positioning is close to perfect.

‘I know they haven’t scored hundreds of goals this season and the whole world is talking about they need a No9. Imagine if they had a No9 on top of that! It’s a luxury problem, let me say it like this.’

Guardiola produced a tactical masterclass at Chelsea with Phil Foden pushed forward as a ‘false nine’. Jack Grealish, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling carry their own threats.

Guardiola seems to have moved on from the pursuit of Harry Kane. ‘What is the Plan B, buy two strikers for £250million?’ he shrugs.

‘No, we have to play better, get more people arriving in the box. There is no secret in football, the biggest strikers in the world scored goals because they are in front of goal. Once we are there, we need the quality to put in the back of the net but it is impossible to score if you are not close.’

This showdown at Anfield still gets Guardiola’s blood pumping.

‘For a manager, the feelings have to be there for these types of games; excitement, nervousness, pressure, emotion. This is why you live this life.’

The two superpowers look evenlymatched from their respective Brazilian goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson, and leaders in the centre of defence, Virgil van Dijk and Ruben Dias. Klopp’s talisman, Salah, has quickly found form, scoring eight times in eight games. Liverpool’s major absentee today, Trent Alexander-Arnold, means the job of trying to contain Grealish will fall to either James Milner or Joe Gomez.

City have extra insurance in front of their back four with Rodri. The City boss said: ‘The last games he’s played, he’s been magnificent. We need him because Liverpool create a lot of gaps with their movement in behind.

‘They play with high intensity in all senses, they are a typical Jurgen team. Yeah, fantastic team.’