Record signing Alexander Isak enters a crucial stretch at Liverpool after a five match goal drought. Arne Slot says the striker has finally reached full fitness and will now be judged fairly, with Anfield’s showdown against Manchester United offering a prime chance to reset the narrative.
Alexander Isak arrived at Liverpool with the weight of a record fee on his shoulders. At 145 million euros, the Swedish striker became the most expensive signing in Premier League history, joining from Newcastle on the final day of the summer window with the expectation that he would transform close games into wins.
Instead, his first weeks have been a test of patience. A goal drought that now spans five matches followed him into the international break, where he also failed to score in Sweden’s defeats to Switzerland and Kosovo. He is not alone in feeling that frustration. Viktor Gyokeres, another Swedish forward and former Sporting standout now at Arsenal, also came back from national team duty without a goal. For Liverpool supporters craving a statement performance, the spotlight remains on Isak.
Arne Slot has tried to keep the narrative steady. Asked on Friday about the 26 year old’s slow start, the Liverpool coach cautioned against rush judgments and argued that a fair evaluation should begin now. The reasoning is straightforward. Isak did not complete a proper preseason with Newcastle as he pushed for the transfer, then moved clubs and needed time to adapt to a new training load and tactical framework. According to Slot, the striker has now had five or six solid weeks of conditioning, is approaching the physical level required, and has banked his first minutes in a red shirt. From this point forward, the club expects to see a truer picture.
The broader context supports Slot’s stance. Strikers who change teams late in the window often face a hidden preseason inside the season. Patterns that were automatic in July and August must be rebuilt on the fly in September and October. The pressing cues change, the location of the number ten shifts by a few meters, and the timing of the full backs overlaps can be faster or slower than expected. Even small differences alter a forward’s runs. At Newcastle, Isak thrived attacking space on the left channel, receiving early diagonals to isolate center backs. At Liverpool, his first touches have more often come with a defender on his back, with the expectation that he can link play before spinning into the box. That is not a problem for his skill set, but it does require new habits to become instinct.
There is also the psychology of the price tag. Opponents raise their intensity when a record signing appears. Defenders take pride in keeping the headlines quiet. Isak has found himself muscled and double teamed in tight zones, with fouls that invite a physical battle rather than a flowing contest. Slot’s response has been to shift responsibility across the front line, asking wide players and midfielders to share chance creation more evenly and to make decoy runs that open central lanes for Isak late in sequences. The staff believes that once the first goal arrives, the game will slow down for him and the finishing rhythm will return.
The tactical pieces around him matter. Liverpool’s chance volume is lower than last season and opponents are defending deeper, which reduces the transition moments Isak loves. The solution the staff is working toward combines quicker circulation through midfield with a cleaner set piece threat. Slot has been open about the need to concede fewer goals first. A side that protects its own box better can attack with more structure and patience, rather than chasing games and forcing low percentage shots. That in turn should deliver the kind of high value touches that raise a striker’s confidence.
For Isak specifically, the checkpoints are clear. First, receive and release under pressure with fewer touches, so that he can then attack the return ball in the penalty area. Second, vary starting positions. If he always begins from the left half space, center backs can cheat. Floating to the right to combine with the overlapping full back can unbalance marking. Third, be present for second phases. Liverpool have generated several loose balls this season around the penalty spot that a sharper number nine usually cleans up. Isak’s instincts in those broken moments will be a leading indicator of his comfort.
There are encouraging signs even inside the drought. His movement has produced cutbacks that teammates have narrowly missed. His near post darts are drawing attention and opening room at the back post. He has also shown calm hold up play in sequences that lead to set pieces. The missing ingredient is the finish that turns a good involvement into a headline. Strikers live on thin margins. A shot that clips the inside of the post instead of the outside can reset an entire month.
The timing of the conversation adds another layer. On Sunday at 16:30, Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield. Slot framed it as one of the most watched games in world football and warned that United’s league position does not match their underlying quality. Derbies like this can tilt seasons. For Isak, a decisive moment in front of the Kop would erase the arithmetic of the last five matches and write a new chapter in a single swing of the right foot. Even if he does not start, an impact off the bench would send the same message.
Defensively, Liverpool have room to improve. Conceding from set pieces has cost them recently, and it compresses the attack by forcing comebacks against organized blocks. Slot’s view is pragmatic. Protect your goal first, earn the right to play higher and calmer, then feed your striker in cleaner situations. If Liverpool can fix that base and increase chance creation by even a modest margin, Isak’s track record suggests the goals will come. He has scored in the Premier League, in Europe, and for Sweden. Finishing ability does not disappear. It pauses when the context is noisy, then returns when the patterns stabilize.
The next few weeks will likely define the tone of his first season at Anfield. A couple of goals, a lift in Liverpool’s defensive numbers, and the transfer fee debate will cool quickly. Until then, Slot’s line holds firm. Preseason is over. The judgment starts now, and so does Isak’s opportunity to turn a slow beginning into the foundation of a successful campaign.
