Alexander Isak Injury Major Blow to Liverpool’s Title Defence

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Following his £125m move to Liverpool at the end of the transfer window, most fans would have expected Alexander Isak to have scored lots of goals for his new club by Christmas. As it is, though, the Swede has a mere three, two in the league plus another in the EFL Cup.

A lack of goals does not mean that the striker’s enforced absence will be a trivial one for Liverpool, though. With Isak out for a lengthy period, it leaves Arne Slot light upfront, with Hugo Ekitike the only natural fit for the position.

With many fixtures yet to come, especially during this time of year, how will Liverpool fare without Isak and might it trigger some movement from Liverpool in the transfer window?

Isak’s Absence a Lengthy One

When investing £125m on a player, you would naturally expect big returns quickly, but this is not going to happen for Isak at Liverpool. The footballing world saw how good he was at Newcastle, but we will probably need to wait until around Easter time before we see him fully fit again. Even though he was not a regular starter at Anfield, having arrived short of match fitness, it is still a huge blow to have such an expensive star out of action for around three months. It was a particularly demoralising injury, too, given that it occurred during the elation of scoring an important goal.

The Swede’s absence poses short-term problems as he joins the likes of Mo Salah (AFCON) and Cody Gakpo (injured) on the list of unavailable attacking options. Slot can still field a strong team, but his options are now limited, and he has little room to shuffle things around.

Ekitike Can Keep Firing In Isak’s Absence

On the whole, Isak’s injury is a major blow to Liverpool, but one good thing that might come from it is more minutes for Hugo Ekitike. Although the pair lined up together against Inter in the Champions League, Slot prefers a one-striker system, which cannot usually accommodate both. Ekitike is perfectly adept at playing on the left, but in this role he normally faces competition from Gakpo and Florian Wirtz.

Although the Frenchman led the line for Liverpool’s last three Premier League games, Isak got the nod three times in a row before that. There would no doubt have been more sharing of minutes had Isak been fit, but Ekitike’s minutes look quite secure. This initially seems like a good thing as Liverpool have carried a bigger goal threat with Ekitike on the pitch, rather than Isak.

It should be noted here, though, that Ekitike has played nearly twice the league minutes of Isak and that the Swede did spend his earlier appearances lacking match fitness. It is fair to assume that Isak, given the quality he has, would surely have improved as the season progressed. Perhaps even the important goal scored against Spurs could have proved something of a catalyst.

Can Anyone Give Ekitike A Rest?

While Ekitike may well score more goals for Liverpool this season, he now has the burden of being Liverpool’s only real natural striking option. Slot does have some options should the Frenchman require a rest, however, without completely blunting his attack. Gakpo has a fair amount of experience playing down the middle and has a respectable record when doing so. Federico Chiesa is also familiar playing centrally, although more as a false nine.

Then, there is of course, Salah who would be no stranger to a more central role. Playing as a centre-forward, he has registered 34 goals and nine assists from 42 appearances, an impressive record. Given his struggles out on the wing this season, it could even be worth trying him out in a more central role. But that will have to wait until after AFCON, and Egypt should go far in the competition too.

January Spending Possible

There is never a good time to sustain a broken leg, but if you had to pick, days before the January transfer window would be high up the list. Despite heavy summer spending, Liverpool do have some funds to play with this January, and this would enable them to land an Isak replacement. This may come in an indirect form, perhaps an attacking midfield who can play across the attack, but either way, it will be an extra body who can score goals.

Antoine Semenyo is one man closely linked with Liverpool, although it appears the Ghanaian is most keen on a move to Man City. Even so, he is far from the only player Liverpool will be keeping their eye on. It is likely this signing will now be something of a priority, but Liverpool’s defence is also in need of some serious investment. Trying to sort both areas, with a somewhat limited budget, in one window will be an extremely difficult ask. A 10/10 window is still not impossible, but Isak’s injury makes it much harder, and this is something which will further hurt Liverpool’s already thin title chances.