Liverpool players have made one key change to help Alexander Isak in Andoni Iraola’s system
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If there was one player Liverpool fans were desperate to see find the back of the net during Sunday’s friendly clash with Monaco, it was Alexander Isak.As it happened, the Swede may actually have scored twice, but perhaps we will never know who got the final touch on Liverpool‘s second of the afternoon.The goal – or maybe even goals – will be the perfect confidence-booster for a player who badly needs one but, more than his well-taken finish past Lukas Hradecky, Reds fans will have been delighted to see Isak‘s overall impact on the game. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP Though he barely had a chance to do anything much during his terrible debut season at Anfield, when he did play, Isak was stifled by his Liverpool teammates, who seemed unable – and at times even unwilling – to give him the ball.Not used to playing with an out-and-out No.
Though it is early days, Andoni Iraola looks to have addressed this already, with Isak far more involved than he was under Arne Slot.Isak is touching the ball far moreWhen watching Isak for Liverpool last season, it always looked as if he simply was not being given the ball at all. READ MORE: How much of Liverpool FSG are about to sell and who is joining Jeff Bezos in buying itPre-season matches are obviously different to competitive games, and the proof in this particular pudding will be when the real action starts later this month.But in two starts under Iraola – amounting to 105 minutes – Isak has registered 40 touches: 17 during his first, 45-minute outing, and 23 in an hour on Sunday.There is still some way to go before he is as involved as Liverpool fans would like to see him, but it is clearly a big step in the right direction.The more Isak touches the ball, the more goals the Reds are going to score.
Again, nothing unusual there.Instead, the difference here comes from the other Liverpool players on the pitch.Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesIf the Reds are to have any kind of success this season, then they know they must get Isak on the pitch with Florian Wirtz far more often than they did last year.Wirtz is a player who understands a centre-forward’s movements and, crucially, is able to feed him with the ball.That was the case on Sunday, and it was hugely encouraging to see the two players begin to really develop an understanding.Others around Wirtz also seem to be realising the importance of giving Isak the ball, with Ryan Gravenberch slotting him through on goal to open the scoring at the Anfield Road end.Iraola absolutely must keep drumming into his charges how important it is that they feed Isak whenever they get the chance. He can also have a much bigger impact on build-up play, and that has been evident too.It is far too early to be getting excited, and Isak has a long way before justifying his £125m fee, but at last, the signs are there that he is finally finding his place in this Liverpool team.