It's time for Isak to fire Liverpool back into form

The Swede has made a disappointing start to life at Anfield, but has the potential to turn the Reds' season around.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

It is difficult to know whether Alexander Isak not playing a single minute of Sweden’s last game of the international break is a good thing for Liverpool or not.

Graham Potter took the decision to leave the 26-year-old on the bench against Slovenia so as not to risk a yellow card that would have ruled him out of the crucial World Cup qualifying play-off that awaits the Swedes.

The upside of that call was that it eliminated the risk of an injury that would have further disrupted an already stuttering start to life at Anfield.

However, it also meant that, with no extra minutes under his belt, Isak is returning to Merseyside in pretty much the same shape as he left.

And clearly, that is not exactly a positive given the striker’s struggles for both fitness and form since his move from Newcastle United.

While the Reds are being pulled apart for the physical and tactical weaknesses shown so far this season, perhaps more attention should be paid to individual contributions.

The fact is, if you have a £125m centre-forward playing in a manner that does not come close to justifying that lofty pricetag, then you are going to have problems.

Remember that Isak was supposed to be a sizeable upgrade on Darwin Nunez, who departed over the summer following a memorable but largely frustrating three-year stint in which he failed to reach his potential.

Yet, so far at least, Isak has failed to match his predecessor’s output, meaning he has - in rather expensive fashion - made the squad weaker in the short term.

By this point of what was a fairly disappointing final season at Anfield (on an individual basis, at least), Nunez had managed three goals split across the Premier League and Champions League in 704 minutes.

Isak, meanwhile, headed into the November international break with just 427 minutes under his belt and a solitary League Cup goal.

Darwin Nunez shots/goals in PL & CL Aug-Nov 2024

Alexander Isak shots/goals in PL & CL Aug-Nov 2025

Of course, that comparison is a harsh one given the context of a disrupted pre-season and that Liverpool make signings for their contributions over a five-year period, not just three months.