Liverpool manager Arne Slot continues to miss the bigger picture regarding Alexander Isak’s struggles, as pressure intensifies on the Dutchman amid a disastrous run of form.
While Nick Woltemade continues to thrive at Newcastle United, scoring again in their 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Tottenham, the man he replaced has endured a miserable start at Anfield.
After a drawn-out summer pursuit, Liverpool finally landed Isak in a £125 million move from Newcastle — but the blockbuster signing has failed to justify the fee. The Swedish striker is still searching for his first Premier League goal, with his only strike coming in a Carabao Cup win over Southampton.
Since then, Isak has picked up a groin injury during the Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, missing Liverpool’s subsequent matches — including their 3-0 Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace.
The Reds have now lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, yet Slot insists on blaming injuries and scheduling rather than the handling of his star striker.
“We handle the situation as it is,” Slot said this week. “Alex, let me use as an example, pre-season was inside the season. People ask why he plays? Otherwise, I have to play Hugo every game.
Both strikers played 34 games last season, we play 60 over here, so I need Alex to have as many games as he can. Some players have had to play more than I’d like — it’s just the situation.”
Slot’s comments, however, highlight the problem. Isak played 34 league matches for Newcastle last season — but 48 games in total across all competitions, delivering 27 goals, including the winner in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Newcastle’s success with Isak stemmed from careful management. They knew about his recurring groin issues and structured his workload accordingly. It’s why they were able to extract peak performance from him — and why Liverpool were convinced to spend big.
But on Merseyside, those lessons appear to have been ignored. Isak missed most of pre-season amid the transfer saga, a risk Newcastle’s medical staff had publicly warned against. Now, the consequences are playing out exactly as predicted.
Slot’s insistence that the situation is unavoidable overlooks the obvious — Liverpool’s mismanagement of their record signing has left both the player and the club paying the price.