After a stop-start early in his Anfield career, the 26-year-old recently admitted he has not performed at his best in recent months and has missed the Reds’ last five games due to a groin injury.
He had a 28-minute substitute appearance in his country’s 4-1 defeat to Switzerland last weekend, but did not come off the bench in their final group match in the World Cup qualifiers.
Why didn’t Isak play a role against Slovenia on Tuesday?
According to SportbladetSweden coach Stefan Pettersson explained that Isak’s absence on Tuesday was not necessarily due to fitness problems, but rather the fear of suspension.
Graham Potter’s side knew going into the match that they would be involved in the play-offs in March, and with the Liverpool forward already booked in the qualifying campaign, another would have seen him suspended for the upcoming match in four months’ time.
Petterson outlined that he had requested ‘additional letters’ from FIFA and UEFA to ‘double check’ the rules regarding bookings and suspensions, after seeking clarity on whether yellow cards would be wiped out after the completion of the group stage.
The Swedish head coach described it as ‘not an ideal situation’ and pointed out that the fear of a suspension slows down players on the field.
Isak could have done with the minutes, but it’s hard to blame Potter
Since the Swedes had nothing to do with last night’s match, it stands to reason that they wouldn’t want to risk Isak (or any of the other eight players who were one booking away from being suspended) leading to a ban for the play-off semi-final.
However, as John Aldridge rightly argued, the Liverpool striker could have used enough minutes on the pitch in Stockholm to build up his fitness for the return of the club season next weekend.
The 26-year-old will go into Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest somewhat cold, and it seems likely he will be on the bench at Anfield rather than being thrown straight back into the fray, especially with Hugo Ekitike on target for France in the past week.
But with the Reds playing eight games before Christmas, Isak will certainly get a few starting chances as long as his body doesn’t fail him again in the coming weeks.
It’s a shame he didn’t get any minutes on Tuesday night, but Potter will feel justified in leaving the forward on the bench to ensure his availability for the play-offs in March.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Kingdom of the Kop on YouTube:
#Alexander #Isak #left #Swedens #draw #Slovenia