Liverpool FC: Alexander Isak’s conditions are far from optimal
Alexander Isak, the Swedish striker who arrived during the final hours of the summer transfer market, will probably be another jewel in the Premier League’s champions’ crown. He is one of the several expensive signings Liverpool concluded, in the last couple of months or so, to lift the EPL trophy for the second year in a row and win the UEFA Champions League. However, for the moment, we have to use the future tense, since his conditions are still far from optimal, in Arne Slot’s words.
According to Liverpool’s manager, it will take some time before Isak will be fully operational. The player's value is obviously unquestionable, and he'll certainly boost the entire team, which is already highly competitive and tipped by leading experts to win the Premier League. For anyone looking to bet on the Reds winning the 2025-2026 championship, here's a list of the best betting sites in the UK, along with various bonuses and offers. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of attractive odds and incentives for new players who believe Isak will be the final piece in the Reds’ quest for national and continental glory.
The plan for Isak
Isak costed 125 million pounds and was a terrific forward for Newcastle but, in this season, only played around 20 minutes with Sweden and was left out from Liverpool’s operations so far. Two Sundays ago, he didn’t even travel with the team to Turf Moor and watched his teammates from home without setting foot in Burnley. His absence was not felt too much and the Reds won 1-0, in injury time, thanks to a penalty scored by Momo Salah. In the future, though, when fatigue and injuries will claim their toll on teams and players, he will be needed. Last week, during the Merseyside Derby, the Swedish was subbed in to play around 25 minutes, with the score already set on the final 2-1 for the Reds. Right now, Isak is a luxury reserve, at best.
Slot, however, has a plan to bring Isak back in top condition and wants to do it sooner, rather than later. The gaffer is putting minutes in the legs of a player who didn’t play at all during pre-season, because of an internal dispute with Newcastle. The Dutchman plans to bring Isak to 45 minutes before the end of September and have him ready to play 90 minutes, or a time close to that length, in about a month. Starting in November, Slot counts on a full recovery and a complete availability.
Another world-class forward is the key to win in each and every competition
In Liverpool they seem to think that a team needs to have a powerful attack, in order to win every competition. This must have been the reasoning behind this summer’s transfers. The Reds could already count on Mohamed Salah but they added Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and obviously Alexander Isak and now have a strikers’ room that Gary Lineker already compared with what Real Madrid has. Los Blancos play with Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr., while the Reds can answer with Salah, Ekitike and/or Isak, with Wirtz setting the plays up right behind them. They probably won’t ever play together on the pitch, or the team will be extremely unbalanced, but could be subbed in or out at will, because whoever plays can keep the intensity level pretty high.
Modern football revolves around how well the forwards perform, especially in the UCL. The game is driven by strikers and their skills usually decide the match, in one way or another. Of course, having a good defense and a talented goalkeeper can make a lot of difference, but the best teams are the ones that can count on more than a single world-class striker. When you have a couple of them, you can aim to win everywhere simply by outscoring your opponent. It is not by chance that PSG won 5-0, in the last UCL final played.