Jamie Carragher doesn’t believe Liverpool need to fear Erling Haaland. The Norwegian isn’t going to move Manchester City up a level.
Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League title this season, despite a sensational campaign. The Reds lost just two games all season and have dominated the cup competitions. They couldn’t quite overhaul Manchester City, however, and fell one point short.
And so it’s easy to worry when you see the team on top of the table sign Erling Haaland. The striker will move to the Etihad this summer in a deal that will, per the Telegraph, total over £200m of investment.
Now, Liverpool can’t match that short of signing Kylian Mbappé and they’re not signing Kylian Mbappé. The Reds don’t have that kind of money – only a few clubs with one thing in common have that kind of money.
So whether Liverpool like it or not, they’ll have to deal with a team they couldn’t quite beat last season signing one of the world’s best strikers. But perhaps they needn’t fear the situation.
That’s Jamie Carragher’s take, anyway.
Liverpool shouldn’t fear Erling Haaland
“People are saying it’ll be unstoppable because Haaland’s in but there are only so many points you can win in a season,” Carragher told The Overlap. “City aren’t going to get 105 or 110 points.
“[Pep Guardiola’s] teams always get – probably this season is a little bit low – over 95, if you go through his history.
“I think Haaland’s brought in not to take City to another level. City are already at that level, so Haaland’s not going to do that. Haaland is being brought in to make the difference in that Real Madrid game.”
Carragher is absolutely on the money with this one. It is impossible for a team to be so good that they win every game in the Premier League season – you can’t build a team that strong. There are too many quality teams in the country who are good enough to win a point in a one-off game against anyone. That’s just football.
Perhaps Haaland does move City back over the 95-point barrier – that’s very possible. But we know Liverpool can attain that, too, and the Norwegian’s arrival doesn’t change that. The Reds will be competitive no matter what, regardless of any signing.
As long as Jurgen Klopp and co. have the team ticking, there’s nothing more to worry about. City will be a major title threat next year as they are every year and Liverpool need to make sure they drop fewer points. Haaland doesn’t make them unstoppable – he simply guarantees they’ll be a threat for a very long time to come.