Jurgen Klopp previews Man City clash
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will be looking to test Pep Guardiola’s view that Julian Alvarez is ‘undroppable’ when the Reds face Manchester City this lunchtime. Alvarez has been one of the Premier League’s best players so far this season, with the 23-year-old having jumped at his chance to shine in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.
Alvarez has started all of City’s league games and is expected to keep doing so for the foreseeable future after chipping in with four goals and five assists. He is almost certain to be handed a starring role against Liverpool this weekend, with Guardiola describing him as ‘almost undroppable’ after City’s win over West Ham earlier this season.
“He’s learning a lot how to move in the pockets, he’s a threat with goals and assists, the work ethic,” said the City boss. “We are delighted that the club brought him last year. [Ilkay] Gundogan left and unfortunately with the injury to Kevin he has his chance and he is using it, now he is almost undroppable.”
It remains to be seen whether Alvarez will be able to maintain his prolific form against Liverpool, with his manager clearly delighted about his influence on proceedings so far. However, what is certain is that Klopp will be hoping to force Guardiola into a rethink by neutralising the threat posed by Alvarez later today.
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Liverpool will significantly boost their hopes of an important victory if they are successful in keeping Alvarez quiet over the course of the 90 minutes. He has mainly been used in the attacking role previously occupied by De Bruyne and the Merseyside giants will be looking to exploit his defensive fragilities when it comes to beating City’s press.
The Reds could also benefit if Alvarez suffers from fatigue after jetting to South America for Argentina’s recent matches against Uruguay and Brazil. He played 80 minutes for his country in the early hours of Wednesday morning before flying straight back to England and returning to training ahead of this weekend’s match.
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Argentina’s game against Brazil was also marred by crowd trouble before kick-off, with Brazilian police charging away supporters as fighting broke out in the stands. Alvarez was among the players watching on in horror and the saga would have added an element of mental fatigue to the physical challenge of facing Brazil on their own patch.
Guardiola admitted on Friday that Alvarez was somewhat jaded upon his return to British shores, saying: “We had doubts because he came from Bolivia with the jet lag, he was so tired the day before yesterday. He felt better and we spoke with him last night and he said he felt good.”
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