Arne Slot left with no other choice in bid to make Liverpool's record £125m transfer outlay work

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Alexander Isak's subdued performances are understandable after a torrid season - but Arne Slot needs a change in strategy to help his £125m striker, writes Paul GorstEarlier this season, Arne Slot conceded, without naming names, that some players' playing time would be sacrificed in an effort to get others in his Liverpool squad fit.The inference was unmistakably aimed at making sure Hugo Ekitike was left in reserve to allow Alexander Isak the time and space to return to somewhere near the level that made him a £125m striker at the start of September.Of course, the most expensive footballer in British history has endured a litany of well-documented issues during his maiden campaign.From his lack of pre-season, owing to his protracted - and at times controversial - move from Newcastle, to the succession of international breaks that stunted progress in September, October and then November, it's been tough for Isak to reach those heights on Tyneside, where he scored close to 50 Premier League goals across the last two full seasons.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageThe leg break at Tottenham Hotspur in December led to a four-month lay-off and the idea that the No.9 was going to be anything other than an impact substitute for the remainder of the season was fanciful, until around 30 minutes into last week's 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final.Ekitike's Achilles rupture means Isak will now be asked to play more than he would have anticipated between now and the end of the campaign.

A start in Sunday's Merseyside derby was further evidence of a player being nowhere near where he would like to be.Nine touches in total across a 72-minute cameo means Isak, a £125m footballer, has touched the ball just 14 times in 117 minutes of football. "So he needs to be managed well between now and the end of the season, he still needs to be fully up to speed, but with the cushion Liverpool have now in the league, Isak can look to get more game time with expectation of him to be sensible, as you don’t want to push him too hard and pick up another injury."The situation bares a resemblance to that of Djibril Cisse, over two decades ago now under Rafa Benitez.The Frenchman was brought for a club-record £14m fee in the summer of 2004 but a leg break later that year hampered progress before he returned to a side that was fighting for Champions League qualification and unable to carry passengers who weren't properly ready.There is plenty of sympathy for Isak, who showed enough at Newcastle for concerns to be eased by the thought of a strong pre-season programme this summer, but there is also a fair debate to had around Slot's ability to get the best out of a more traditional No.9 like the Sweden international.Throughout what is nearly two seasons at Anfield, Slot has tried out a variety of players in that role.Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Ekitike and Isak have all been deployed at various points.

With Liverpool set to lose the player who has topped the scoring charts for their last eight full seasons in Mohamed Salah this summer, a change in approach is going to be needed.Anfield insiders are insistent there is no like-for-like on the market to succeed Salah, who is the third highest goalscorer of all time at the club, and that could mean recruiting for a different profile that will look to supply Isak more readily from next season.Owen, who now represents Casino.org, a leading platform helping players find UK casino brands, adds: "I can’t see Liverpool going out and buying an out and out striker in the summer. "Hopefully Ekitike will be back for the start of the new season, so therefore, a wide player would be my priority for Liverpool and I am sure they are identifying them or have already have the short list to look to secure their preferred option."Slot spoke earlier this season about how players who are more traditional wingers rather than wide forward, tasked with goalscoring, would help Isak reach the sorts of numbers Liverpool have banked on, and that might mean a different style of attacker this summer when Salah finally walks away.Whether supporters like it or not, the Reds are preparing to move away from the Salah era, and Isak will take on that burden of being the main marksman for the coming years.The mitigation for him not doing so right now is entirely fair, but it will require a fresh tactical framework from Slot and his staff to ensure such a gifted striker is serviced more frequently when he is finally able to declare himself 100%.