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Jurgen Klopp became aware of Erling Haaland’s “insane” potential when he faced Liverpool with Salzburg, and the Reds boss believes the striker has found “a perfect fit” at Manchester City.
Liverpool were drawn into the same Champions League group as Haaland’s Salzburg in the 2019-20 season.
Then 19, having hit a hat-trick against Genk on his Champions League debut, Haaland netted in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.
The Norway international has scarcely stopped scoring since, earning moves to Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund and then City, where he has an astonishing 20 goals in 13 games in all competitions.
Ahead of facing Haaland again on Sunday in the Premier League, Klopp was asked for his take on the dominant forward.
“Even when he was very young, younger than he is now, you could see the potential was insane,” Klopp said.
“Physically, he sets new standards. The combination of being really physical and technical and [having] sensational awareness, his orientation on the pitch is exceptional, he is barely offside, he resets really well – there are so many things that make him a striker.
“Now, at City, he has some of the best players around him in the world in setting up goals and finding the right moment for the passes, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, [Riyad] Mahrez, whoever. They all are really good at that.
“It’s a perfect fit, there is no doubt about that.”
Asked how Haaland might compare to other elite forwards, with Robert Lewandowski name-checked as a player Klopp worked with previously, the Liverpool manager said: “For Erling, I think it’s that he combines so many things, and it’s rare.
“His finishing skills are exceptional, but he also moves really smart. You can only use the speed if you use it in a smart way, because just running is not helpful if you forget the ball or whatever. Especially behind the line, you need to make sure that you are patient enough in not being offside.
“The package makes him special.”
So, do Liverpool have any special plans for dealing with Haaland? That is tricky, Klopp said, when he plays for a side as good as City.
“When you play against, at the moment, the best striker in the world, you have to make sure he doesn’t get that many balls,” Klopp explained.
“That’s what we will try, but against City, obviously 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. We will try to find solutions.”
