Andoni Iraola made one brilliant decision with Alexander Isak during Liverpool’s win over Ipswich
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Alexander Isak was the star man as Liverpool recorded their first Premier League win of the season against Ipswich on Friday.Isak got off the mark for the campaign last weekend, tapping home to level against Nottingham Forest, and the goal appeared to give him the confidence he has so regularly been missing since joining Liverpool for £125m last year.But perhaps almost as pleasing as his goals was the fact that Isak looks completely fit and is holding up brilliantly in the Premier League so far. Andoni Iraola is playing a big part in that, and the head coach’s decision to take Isak off and protect his legs with half an hour left to play was actually one of the best moments of the game for Liverpool.
Give us your reaction to Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Ipswich on Friday night How good was it to see Alexander Isak get a couple of goals 😍 Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Iraola is perfectly protecting IsakWith Isak chasing a second Portman Road hat-trick, and almost one third of the game left – not to mention Bradley Barcola preparing to come on for his Liverpool debut – it would have been easy for Iraola to leave Isak out on the pitch.Seeing him in the mood for goals for the first time in a long time, every fan would have loved to see the Sweden international find the net again.But it is Iraola’s job to cut through that and do what is best for the team. With Liverpool playing Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and Fulham next Saturday, it is important that Isak is not overloaded.Bringing him off with the game virtually in the bag was the right move from the Reds head coach and should mean that his No.
9 is ready to go in the Champions League in midweek.READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings vs Ipswich as Alexander Isak double outshines Bradley Barcola’s debutLiverpool must not take the handbrake off with IsakAfter such an excellent week for Isak, the temptation for Iraola and Liverpool now will be to just let him loose and get him even more in amongst the goals.But while that will hopefully happen at some point during the 26-year-old’s Liverpool career, it should not be just yet.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesWith no natural back-up to Isak until Hugo Ekitike is back fit, Iraola has to continue to manage him as well as possible.That will sometimes mean Liverpool fans have to accept that Isak will be taken off in moments like Friday night, or will be kept back on the bench on occasion.How Liverpool manage during the times he is not playing will do plenty to determine the success they have this season.Iraola showed against Ipswich that he is prepared for his team to have those moments, and whether Isak likes it or not, it is vital to keeping him in the kind of form he finally showed in East Anglia. Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox