Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp explains why Manchester United's riches do not matter

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Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, is certain that his time at Anfield can be a success despite the club lacking the resources of the Premier League's pace-setters Manchester United and Manchester City.

Klopp’s side meet Jose Mourinho’s United at Anfield in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, with the unbeaten visitors already seven points clear of their hosts in the table after seven games.

United are level on points with leaders City after a summer that saw the two clubs spend £164m and £249m respectively to sign the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kyle Walker and Nemanja Matic. Liverpool, by contrast, spent just £89m.

Klopp knows too well that money cannot be spent as freely at Anfield as it is at Old Trafford or the Etihad but the Liverpool manager does not believe this relative lack of financial clout presents a major obstacle.

“If you have a really good situation in your private life, enjoy it,” he said on Friday. “If your neighbour has a better situation, does that mean you can't enjoy your own situation? But he's got one more car, he gets to go on one extra holiday… It's about us becoming happy, not about others.

“Can we dominate them [United and City] for the next 20 years without spending the same amount of money? Probably not, but can we still be there? Yes of course. And we want to force this. We want to be consistent, constant at our high level and improve it, even when we lose a player in the future we want to bring in other players.

“That's the benefit of a long-term project. I know the owners are not in doubt about me, about us, about anything.”

Klopp marked two years at the Anfield helm last week and though progress has been made, with the club returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2014 this season, some familiar problems are yet to solved.

Liverpool’s long-standing defensive frailties show no sign of abating, and while Klopp’s side have generally performed well when up against rival clubs competing for the title and a top-four finish, they have tended to struggle against those lower down the division.

The indifferent start to the new season, with three wins, three draws and one heavy defeat at the Etihad, has led some to doubt whether Liverpool are ready to challenge for honours, but Klopp has no doubt that his side will improve and believes he is the “perfect” manager for the club at this present time.

“In the moment when I think we cannot be successful, and there is only consolation, I go,” he said. “Why should I be here as some kind of caretaker until the world creates a manager who can be more successful? That makes no sense. I am really convinced.

“Other managers have different ways to do it, other clubs have different ways to do it. We have our way. I don’t think I am the perfect manager, I only think I am the perfect fit for this club. And I feel already much more responsible than maybe I should.

“I don’t even think about going from my side and saying, ‘that’s it’. I really think we are on the right way.”