Slot insists Isak doing what he did at Newcastle — but he’s missing Reds’ right men

WHEN it was put to Arne Slot that Alexander Isak is having so few touches while leading the Liverpool line yesterday, the head coach had a statistic up his sleeve that was enough to suggest the £125million striker’s contributions had been sufficiently analysed at the AXA Training.

- By PAUL GORST

Isak, in his last two Anfield starts in the Premier League, has had less than 30 touches of the ball. He is averaging 14 per game and while his goal at West Ham United last week was expertly taken, Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland once more saw the Sweden international on the periphery, taken off in the second period with Slot’s side needing a goal.

‘The Reds boss informed the press yesterday morning that his new No.9 was only averaging 22 touches per game at his previous club, presenting the idea that even when Isak was plundering 23 goals for Newcastle United, he was often being used selectively in the build up.

Such is a striker’s lot. Erling Haaland, arguably the greatest goalscorer of his generation, sees his output put under the microscope on those rare occasions that his name doesn’t appear on a Manchester City scoresheet and at a time when Isak is still adapting to anew club with more sizable demands and ambitions - on the back of no preseason and a month-long absence with a groin injury - it should be no shock that the most expensive forward in Liverpool and British-football history has yet to show why he was pursued so vigorously in the transfer window.