Pep Guardiola takes a swipe at Liverpool’s new signing, Alexander Isak.

Pep Guardiola Throws Shade at Liverpool’s Record Signing Alexander Isak

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola appeared to take a subtle swipe at Liverpool’s new marquee signing Alexander Isak, claiming Erling Haaland still ranks slightly higher in his view.

Liverpool broke the British transfer record this summer to bring in Isak from Newcastle United, but Guardiola seems unconvinced that the Swedish striker is currently the world’s best.

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot had recently praised Isak as the top striker in the game, prompting reporters to ask Guardiola for his opinion during a press conference. In response, the City manager didn’t hide his preference for Haaland, suggesting the Norwegian remains a cut above.

Guardiola acknowledged that football opinions vary and mentioned that some might still consider legends like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as the best. Still, he stood firm in his belief that Haaland deserves to be rated above Isak.

Isak vs Haaland: A Statistical Comparison

While stats alone don’t tell the full story, they can offer insight into how both players performed last season.

A graphic from DataMB highlights the contrasting styles of the two forwards. Haaland excels in aerial duels, while both are similar in metrics like touches in the box and non-penalty goals.

Isak, on the other hand, shows more creativity, with better expected assist numbers and a slightly higher goal conversion rate.

In terms of raw numbers from the 2024/25 season:

Player Games Goals

Erling Haaland 48 34
Alexander Isak 42 27

With Isak now playing in a more dominant Liverpool side, he may get more goal-scoring opportunities than he did at Newcastle. However, as always in football, things don’t always go according to expectations.