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Pep Guardiola has disagreed with Arne Slot’s verdict that Alexander Isak is 'probably the best striker in the world', claiming that Erling Haaland is a better player.
The Liverpool head coach gave his view on Friday, speaking for the first time since Isak’s record-breaking arrival on deadline day. The Swedish striker cost the Reds £125million ($169M), making him the most expensive player in the league’s history.
Isak has scored 54 Premier League goals in 86 matches and, as evidenced by the transfer fee paid, FSG feels he is among the best in the business. So does Guardiola, even if he claims his no.9 is better than Liverpool’s.
Asked about Slot’s comments, Guardiola said Haaland is “a little bit above”.
“Isak is an exceptional player,” added the ex-Barcelona boss. “You asked me about Erling as a striker and he is top. But Isak must be a top player for what they paid.
“Another one would say [Kylian] Mbappe, [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo]; it’s fine. It’s a game of opinions and not everyone is right.
“What I would say is that I wouldn’t change Erling for anyone. I know him and he’s adorable as a person. I like him.”
In comparison to Isak, Haaland has scored a remarkable 88 Premier League goals from 100 matches, although it should be considered that he has played for a side that tends to have more possession and create greater chances than Isak received at Newcastle.
Liverpool’s new signing will hope to get off the mark for the Reds against Burnley on Sunday, although it appears unlikely he will start after a disrupted summer.
Slot said on Friday that the ex-Real Sociedad man needs to build up over the comings.
“We will treat Alex the same as he did,” said the Liverpool head coach. “Don’t expect him to be every single game 90 minutes on the pitch.
“That’s definitely not going to happen for the next few weeks. He missed a proper pre-season. I think he missed three or four months of team sessions, so now we have to build him up gradually with us playing so many games and hardly any training time.
“That is going to be a challenge, but we have not just signed him for the upcoming two weeks, we have signed him for six years so this is what we have to keep in mind, and what the fans have to keep in mind if I take him off in a certain moment or I only bring him in for a few moments. That is all for the fitness of the player.”
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