When Liverpool spent £125 million on Alexander Isak, everyone knew what they were getting: an elite striker capable of scoring goals, linking play and creating problems for defenders.
So when he has a quiet game, it’s easy to point the finger at him.
But I think Liverpool have a much bigger problem.
And it isn’t Isak.
It’s the team around him.
Liverpool aren’t creating enough for Isak
We saw it against Nottingham Forest.
Isak touched the ball just 13 times in 90 minutes — an astonishingly low number for a Liverpool striker.
That statistic tells you more about Liverpool’s performance than it does about the striker.
The problem wasn’t simply that Isak wasn’t getting chances.
Liverpool weren’t getting the ball into dangerous areas quickly enough to create those chances.
The passing is too slow
One of my biggest concerns from the Forest game was the speed of Liverpool’s passing.
There were too many occasions when the ball was moved slowly from side to side, allowing Forest to get everyone behind the ball and organise their defence.
And when Liverpool eventually played forward, the passes were often in front of the Forest defence rather than behind it.
That’s where Liverpool need to improve.
There has to be more urgency and more willingness to play through the lines.
Where are the runners?
This is perhaps the biggest issue.
Liverpool need players willing to run beyond the defence.
If Isak drops towards the ball, somebody needs to attack the space he’s created.
If he occupies a centre-back, another player needs to threaten the space behind.
If Wirtz receives the ball between the lines, there needs to be movement ahead of him.
Too often against Forest, there wasn’t enough.
That made Liverpool predictable and allowed Forest to defend relatively comfortably.
The crossing needs to improve
Liverpool’s delivery into the box was another problem.
Too many crosses against Forest were overhit, easily cleared or played into areas where Isak had little chance of getting on the end of them.
Liverpool can’t simply put the ball into the box and expect Isak to win everything.
They need to deliver with greater quality and variety.
Wirtz gives me hope
The encouraging thing is that Florian Wirtz already looks capable of helping solve some of these problems.
Against Forest, he was arguably Liverpool’s biggest attacking threat.
He had a goal disallowed after Frimpong was offside, forced a good save with his header and eventually created Victor Muñoz’s equaliser.
He wants to receive the ball between the lines.
He wants to turn.
He wants to play forward.
That’s exactly what Liverpool need more of.
Imagine Wirtz receiving the ball in the pocket and immediately having runners attacking the space ahead of him.
That’s the combination I’m desperate to see.
Barcola could change everything
Then there’s Bradley Barcola.
Liverpool have spent £123 million to bring in a player who can provide something the team desperately needs:
Explosiveness.
Barcola can take defenders on, carry the ball, attack space and force opposition defences to retreat.
That’s important because Liverpool currently need more players capable of creating something themselves rather than relying on patient possession.
If Barcola can consistently beat his man and attack the space behind the full-back, it could create much more room for Liverpool’s central attackers.
Iraola has to find the balance
This is where Andoni Iraola has a huge job.
He’s inherited a team with an enormous amount of attacking talent.
Wirtz.
Isak.
Barcola.
Gakpo.
Muñoz.
And others.
But having talented players isn’t enough.
He needs to create a system that allows them to complement each other.
Liverpool have had huge changes this summer and Iraola is still finding his best combinations.
But the Premier League won’t wait forever for him to figure it out.
The full-back problem makes it harder
There’s another issue.
Liverpool’s full-backs are expected to provide width and attacking support, but there are still defensive concerns with the new-look positions.
That creates a difficult balancing act.
If Frimpong and Kerkez push forward, Liverpool need midfielders capable of protecting the defence.
If they stay deeper, Liverpool can become too narrow.
And when Liverpool become predictable, the opposition can concentrate on stopping the central threat.
Everything is connected.
This is Iraola’s problem to solve
I don’t think Liverpool have bought the wrong striker.
I think they’ve bought an outstanding striker and now need to build an attacking structure that allows him to thrive.
The ingredients are there.
Wirtz creating.
Barcola running at defenders.
Gakpo providing another option.
Muñoz offering directness.
And Isak finishing the chances.
But Iraola has to make it work.
At the moment, Liverpool can be too slow and predictable.
The ball goes sideways.
The opposition gets organised.
The crosses aren’t good enough.
There aren’t enough runners.
And the attack becomes easier to defend against.
That’s the problem.
My verdict
I’m actually very excited about what this Liverpool attack could eventually become.
But there is still plenty of work to do.
Iraola needs to increase the tempo, get more players running beyond the defence and find better ways of getting Liverpool’s attacking players into dangerous positions.
Because Liverpool didn’t spend £125 million on Isak to have him watching the game from the edge of the action.
Get the structure right, get the service right and let the striker do what he does best.
I have a feeling the goals will follow.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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