The Reds’ 3–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest was the first time since 1965 that they had lost back-to-back league games by this scoreline.
While this may not have been Liverpool’s worst performance this season, it certainly felt like a low point had been reached in terms of team spirit.
One of the main questions to emerge from the match was why Arne Slot chose to start Isak, who had played just 28 minutes in the previous month, over the more in-form Hugo Ekitike.
“To get there (to full fitness), he might need minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness,” the head coach explained.
“I always have to find the balance between what is best for him as an individual and for us as a team.”
That balance is not currently being found.
It’s true that Isak isn’t at his sharpest, but even playing him consistently in this side won’t get him back to his Newcastle levels. Liverpool simply aren’t right for him.
Saturday’s defeat made him the First A Liverpool player from the Premier League era finished on the losing side in each of his first four starts for the club.
Alexander Isak had only fourteen ball contacts against Nottingham Forest
Against forest, FotMob tells us he had just fourteen touches, fewer than any other starter on the field.
The number 9 lasted 68 minutes before being replaced by Federico Chiesa, during which time he had one shot off target, was dispossessed twice and lost all seven matches.
However, this is not a hit on Liverpool’s record signing as Isak is clearly not being used effectively.
The Swede is a traditional striker in the sense that he is best at running from the back and getting to the ball within the width of the penalty area.
Although he can perform on the flanks, especially when cutting in from the left, his talents are best utilized around the box.
However, Liverpool cannot find a way to tie him into matches; he sometimes looks lost as he drops deep in search of the ball after long periods without any action.
The card from the match below, shared by writer Sam McGuire Xshows how often Liverpool players came into contact with each other and how disconnected Isak was from his teammates.
The failure to find Isak had a knock-on effect for the rest of Liverpool’s attackers.
Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo’s creative problems
Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo, who looked sharp early in the afternoon, resorted to hopeful crosses, which invariably found centre-back Murillo, who usually marked Isak and made seven headers.
In fact, the two Reds wingers combined for twelve crosses, with zero reaching a redshirt.
While Ekitike will certainly see plenty of playing time this season, even if he acts as a backup to Isak, he has every right to be frustrated with his position on the bench.
Even as a raw forward, the Frenchman currently seems more suited to Liverpool’s style as a combative false nine with an eye for goal.
At the start of the season, Liverpool conceded a lot, but got over the line. Now one goal in the last three games is indicative of a team that is dysfunctional on both ends of the pitch.
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