Alexander Isak touched the ball just 13 times against Nottingham Forest.
Let that sink in.
Thirteen touches.
For a striker Liverpool spent £125 million to sign.
According to the statistic, that is the lowest number of touches by a Liverpool player to play the full 90 minutes of a Premier League match since 2003/04.
That isn’t just surprising.
It’s a problem.
Isak did score Liverpool’s first equaliser against Forest, which was an encouraging moment and hopefully the beginning of something special at Anfield.
But Liverpool have to find a way of getting their £125m striker far more involved.
And for me, there were some obvious reasons why he struggled.
The passing was far too slow
This was one of the biggest frustrations for me watching the game.
Liverpool’s passing was far too slow and predictable for long periods.
We were moving the ball around in front of Forest’s defence without really threatening to get behind them.
It felt like Forest were quite comfortable just sitting there and watching Liverpool pass the ball from side to side.
And the biggest problem was that there weren’t enough runs in behind.
Isak needs defenders to be worried about what is happening behind them.
If nobody is making those runs, the opposition can simply hold their position, keep their defensive shape and wait for Liverpool to make a mistake.
That’s exactly what Forest were able to do.
We need runners beyond Isak
Isak is at his best when he has space to attack.
He can run behind defenders.
He can drop into space.
He can link play.
But he can’t do everything himself.
When Isak receives the ball, there need to be players making runs beyond him.
When Wirtz gets possession between the lines, Isak should be threatening the space behind the centre-backs.
When Liverpool’s midfield receives the ball, they need to be looking forward rather than simply recycling possession.
We need movement.
Against Forest, there simply wasn’t enough of it.
The crossing didn’t help him either
And then there were the crosses.
Honestly, some of them were terrible.
There were balls delivered into the box that were nowhere near Isak and didn’t give him a realistic chance of getting on the end of them.
That’s another reason why I don’t want to simply look at the 13 touches and blame Isak.
How many opportunities did Liverpool actually create for him?
Not enough.
If you’re going to play with a £125m striker, you have to give him the ammunition.
Put dangerous balls into the box.
Make defenders turn towards their own goal.
Give Isak something to attack.
Instead, too many crosses were either overhit, underhit or played into areas where Forest’s defenders were comfortable.
Get the ball into the box quicker
Liverpool don’t necessarily need to have 70 per cent possession.
They need to make that possession count.
When Isak makes a run behind the defence, Liverpool need players looking for him.
When he drops towards the ball, somebody needs to run beyond him.
When Liverpool get into wide areas, they need to be thinking about Isak in the penalty area.
He’s one of the best finishers in the squad.
Get the ball to him.
Wirtz could be the key
This is where Florian Wirtz becomes incredibly important.
Wirtz was Liverpool’s biggest attacking threat against Forest and looks increasingly comfortable operating in the areas behind the striker.
That’s exactly where you want him.
If Wirtz can receive the ball between the lines and turn, Isak can start making those dangerous runs beyond the defence.
The relationship between the two could become one of the most exciting parts of this Liverpool team.
But Wirtz needs runners ahead of him too.
He can’t be the only player trying to make something happen.
The wingers have a huge role too
Liverpool also need their wide players to provide better service.
The arrival of Bradley Barcola should help enormously.
He’s capable of beating defenders, getting to the byline and delivering into the box.
He’s also capable of cutting inside and creating opportunities himself.
But whether it’s Barcola, Gakpo, Víctor Muñoz or another winger, Liverpool need to make sure Isak isn’t simply watching attacks develop from 20 yards away.
The striker needs to be the end product.
This also comes back to the midfield
This is another reason why Liverpool’s midfield remains a concern for me.
If Liverpool’s midfield is moving the ball slowly, it gives the opposition time to get organised.
By the time the ball reaches the attacking players, the spaces have disappeared.
We need someone who can receive the ball and immediately look forward.
Someone who can break the lines.
Someone who can play the pass that gets Isak running towards goal.
At the moment, Liverpool are spending too much time passing in front of the opposition defence rather than trying to get through it.
You don’t spend £125m to get 13 touches
This is the biggest point.
Liverpool didn’t spend £125m on Isak to simply have another player in the starting XI.
They signed him because they believe he can be one of the best strikers in world football.
He needs to be involved.
He needs chances.
He needs shots.
He needs touches inside the opposition penalty area.
And his teammates need to understand exactly what he wants.
His goal against Forest showed what can happen when Liverpool finally find him.
One of his first meaningful involvements resulted in a goal.
Imagine what could happen if he gets 30 or 40 touches in dangerous areas.
I’m not worried about Isak — I’m worried about the service
That’s the important distinction for me.
I’m not sitting here thinking Isak isn’t good enough.
Quite the opposite.
I think Liverpool have signed an outstanding striker.
But we need to play to his strengths.
The slow passing has to improve.
The movement has to improve.
The runs in behind have to improve.
The crossing has to improve.
And Liverpool need to start getting the ball into the areas where Isak can hurt teams.
Because if we’re simply going to pass the ball slowly in front of a packed defence and then send poor crosses into the box, we’re making life incredibly difficult for him.
My verdict
13 touches is simply nowhere near enough.
Yes, Isak scored.
Yes, it’s still very early in his Liverpool career.
And yes, he’s adapting to a new team and a new manager.
But Liverpool need to learn very quickly how to get the best out of him.
Give him quicker service.
Get runners beyond him.
Get Wirtz closer.
Get the wingers attacking the full-backs.
And when we get into crossing positions, put the ball somewhere Isak can actually attack.
Because the quality is there.
The £125m price tag tells us how highly Liverpool rate him.
Now the team has to give him the platform to justify it.
You don’t spend £125m on Alexander Isak to give him 13 touches.
You spend £125m to make him the focal point of your attack.
Now let’s start playing like it.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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