Pep Guardiola takes swipe at Liverpool’s new arrival Alexander Isak

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has taken a veiled swipe at Liverpool’s record-breaking signing Alexander Isak, insisting that Erling Haaland remains a level above him.

Liverpool paid a British transfer record to prise Isak from Newcastle United this summer, but Guardiola doesn’t appear convinced that he’s the top striker in world football.

When asked in his press conference about Arne Slot’s claim that Isak is the best, Guardiola made it clear he disagreed, stressing that Haaland is still superior.

The Spaniard added that football is a sport built on opinions, with many people likely to argue in favour of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo instead. Even so, he underlined that he wouldn’t trade Haaland for anyone.

Haaland vs Isak – how do the numbers stack up?

Statistics can’t settle the debate completely, but a look at the data highlights the contrast between the two forwards.

Haaland dominates in the air, while both strikers are closely matched when it comes to touches in the box and non-penalty goals. Isak, meanwhile, offers more creativity with his expected assists and boasts a slightly higher conversion rate.

Last season’s scoring numbers still favoured Haaland, who netted 34 goals in 48 matches compared to Isak’s 27 in 42.

With Isak now leading the line for Liverpool, it will be intriguing to see how their records compare by the end of this campaign.