It’s a period of “transition” for Liverpool and Man City currently, with Jurgen Klopp acknowledging change comes with the territory of being a successful team.
Liverpool made three permanent additions to their squad this summer before a late dip into the loan market saw Arthur arrive on deadline day, while Sadio Mane was a significant departure.
But the general consensus is that the club did not do enough to build on a position of strength and in the face of cumulative fatigue.
Early results and performances leave the Reds five points behind Man City in the Premier League, a team Klopp knows is in a state of transition alongside his own after a busy summer of transfers.
Erling Haaland headlined City’s arrivals and already has 12 goals this season, a signing that comes as part of “refreshing a successful team,” which Klopp knows has to be done “from time to time.”
Interesting words from Klopp in his recent interview with Sport1, and his definition of a ‘winner‘ will form the basis of the Reds clawing their way back to form.
“Haaland is an exceptional footballer and of course, they have become stronger because of him,” Klopp said when discussing Man City.
“You just have to know – Pep [Guardiola] sees this just as much as I do – that the team has to be reshuffled from time to time.
“We also gained players and lost one [Sadio Mane] who almost always played. And that will take time.
“That applies to City as well as to us. But when you see how City play, how the balls come into the penalty area, how Erling stays in the right spaces, it’s hard to avoid scoring goals. Very many even.
“But City have also given up a lot of players and are also in transition, even more than we are.
“It’s part of refreshing a successful team. They gave up Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, who was a fixture in Manchester for years. Zinchenko too. Fernandinho has retired, or rather, has gone back to Brazil.
“They were important players for City. And the season is damn long and is interrupted again by the World Cup, no one has a clue [what will happen].”
