Paul Merson says Arne Slot is about to face another serious problem at Liverpool
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The Reds have won their first four top-flight games without Alexander Isak even setting foot on the pitch.
It goes without saying that Liverpool had one of the best transfer windows of all time this summer.
They spent over £450million on new players and, even though that’s an awful lot of money, the fact that they sold over £200million worth of players meant that things managed to balance out.
One of Arne Slot’s highest-profile signings was Isak, and although he’s not played for the Reds yet, he’s likely to feature against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening.
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And, even though he’s only going to make Liverpool’s first-team squad better, Paul Merson believes that “problems” will begin to arise upon his return.
“He [Isak] hasn’t played any football yet in pre-season,” Merson said.
“So you’ve got to be careful, you don’t want him to come in and then, well, of a sudden, he gets injured, so they’ve got to be patient.
“Their big advantage is that they’re winning while he’s not playing, but?
When he does come in, people will have to step out.
“And this is where all the problems start, but I’d like to think he’d get a run out tomorrow [against Atletico Madrid.]”
One of the main questions around Liverpool at the moment is how Slot is going to keep Hugo Ekitike and Isak happy.
Both strikers deserve to be in the Reds’ starting XI, and, although Ekitike can be used on the left wing if needed, he’s much better off in his natural position of striker.
However, since Liverpool have spent a club-record fee on Isak, there’s no way that they’re going to bench him once he’s fully fit.