What? Alexander Isak has an unlikely rival to his No9 position at Liverpool
Liverpool's season hinges on Alexander Isak remembering he is Alexander Isak.
During his time at Newcastle United, he struck 20+ goals in back-to-back seasons and regularly dominated the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel and William Saliba. He was, after Erling Haaland, the most feared striker in the English top-flight.
For the Reds, however, he's yet to show that version of himself. Injuries disrupted his debut season on Merseyside while he's failed to really impose himself on either of the two opening games this term. He did, however, find the back of the net against Nottingham Forest, tapping home a Cody Gakpo cross.
Liverpool need more from Alexander Isak
While the Liverpool No9 may have the highest Non-Penalty Expected Goals total in the Premier League this term, the data doesn't reveal all. A significant chunk of that was tied to a double chance against Newcastle, when the ball almost ricocheted off of his head twice in quick succession. It went down as two, high value chances, and skews the overall total.
He finished well against Forest but outside of that he's been anonymous. And this is a bit of a problem for Liverpool right now with Hugo Ekitike out until the New Year with an Achilles issue.
The Reds don't possess another senior centre-forward, though Bradley Barcola could play there having done so for Paris Saint-Germain. There's no real pressure on Isak. Well, there wasn't.
Cody Gakpo wants to be a striker
Cody Gakpo arrived at Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven having spent his career on the left side of the attack. Jurgen Klopp deployed him as a false-nine and, in truth, he did alright. However, upon the appointment of compatriot Arne Slot, the Dutchman was moved back to his apparent favoured role on the left. He's remained there ever since.
The No18 looked set to leave Anfield during the summer transfer window with Manchester City having an £80million offer turned down while Spurs had agreed terms with the player. And this is where it gets a little interesting.
In a TEAMTALK report, it is claimed Gakpo was open to moving to Spurs after Roberto De Zerbi had given the 27-year-old assurances that he would play as a centre-forward.
If this is accurate and Gakpo does view himself as a No9, it changes the dynamic in the Liverpool attack, at least until Ekitike returns.
He can handle the physcality of the Premier League. He's deceptively robust and has proven himself to be a goalscorer and a creator already this term. Gakpo has linked up well with Florian Wirtz, something Isak has struggled to do, and with the arrival of Barcola, Andoni Iraola now has options in wide areas allowing him to use the Dutchman centrally if he so wishes.
All of a sudden, Isak's guaranteed minutes don't look quite as assured unless he starts to deliver.
