Alexander Isak: Central to Liverpool's New Season Strategy
Andoni Iraola is under no illusions about Alexander Isak. The goals will come. The Liverpool head coach is far more interested in everything that happens in between.
With Hugo Ekitike still sidelined after Achilles surgery and Mohamed Salah gone, Isak stands as Liverpool’s only recognised centre-forward. That makes the Sweden international both indispensable and under intense scrutiny heading into the new season.
Last year never really got going for him. His debut campaign at Anfield was chopped up by injuries: just 12 starts from 22 appearances, only four goals, and only one of those after he broke his leg at Tottenham just before Christmas. Liverpool bought a finisher and spent most of the year waiting for him to be fit enough to finish.
Now he is central to everything.
Isak at the heart of Iraola’s plan
Iraola sees more than a penalty-box striker. He wants a hub, a forward who stitches moves together and creates space for others.
“Alex is going to be a very important player for us this season,” Iraola said. “Right now he is in a very good place; he has been training every day, he has not missed a session, he has been adding more and more minutes every friendly game.
“He played a very good World Cup in terms of availability, fitness level, and I want to keep him there as much as we can.
“We know his level and if we can keep him there he will score the goals and give us a lot of things.”
The chemistry with Florian Wirtz could define Liverpool’s attacking identity. Restored to his natural role as a No 10 after being shuffled around under former boss Arne Slot, Wirtz is expected to operate just off Isak, feeding him and feeding off him. If that axis clicks, Liverpool suddenly look far less short-handed in the final third.
But Iraola’s demands on his striker cut deeper than the obvious.
“Probably my fight with him, my instructions, are more in terms of without the ball and how he can help in his position when we are with the ball so he can open spaces for other players,” he explained.
“I am not trying to focus in terms of goals but he is a striker, he will want to score, but I try not to judge the strikers if they score or if they haven't.”
The message is clear: the pressing, the movement, the decoy runs, the selfless angles for Wirtz and the wingers matter as much as the numbers on the scoreboard.
Hostile return, huge stage
If Isak needs an early jolt of adrenaline, Sunday will provide it. Liverpool open their Premier League campaign at Newcastle, the club he left in acrimonious fashion after effectively going on strike last summer to force through his move to Anfield.
He can expect a fierce reception. Iraola is not dressing it up as a grudge match, but he knows the emotional charge that comes with returning to a former home.
“I suppose it is always special when you play against your ex-team in their stadium — in the same way when I go back to Bournemouth you always want to do well,” he said.
“The first game of the season everyone will be very motivated and I think it is going to be the same for Alex.”
A fit, sharp Isak walking into a cauldron at St James’ Park, carrying Liverpool’s entire centre-forward burden on his shoulders. It is exactly the sort of test Iraola wants to see him pass.
Thin up front, decisions to make
Behind Isak, the depth chart is brutally short. Ekitike is unlikely to return before the new year, and Liverpool’s recruitment drive has focused on wide players rather than another No 9. A second bid of £60 million for Brighton winger Yankubu Minteh has already been turned down, underlining where the club’s priorities lie.
That leaves Iraola weighing up contingency plans. One of them is already in the building.
Cody Gakpo has been linked, somewhat surprisingly, with Tottenham despite Liverpool’s lack of forwards. His future appears to lie on the left for now, but Iraola knows he may have to revisit the Dutchman’s previous life through the middle under Jurgen Klopp.
“In pre-season we haven't tried as we don't have enough wingers and we prioritised what we need from him in his preferred position as a left-winger,” Iraola said.
“But I have been talking to him about his minutes as a nine; he has done it before and in certain situations he could help us in the nine position.”
For the moment, though, everything loops back to Isak: his fitness, his movement, his understanding with Wirtz, his ability to carry the load in a system that demands constant work.
Liverpool are betting that last season’s false start was an anomaly. Newcastle away will give them an early clue as to whether that bet is about to pay off.
