The build-up to Newcastle’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Monday is obviously going to be dominated by Alexander Isak. A striker in every sense, Isak is the protagonist of the most-discussed transfer saga of the summer so far – and we still don’t have any idea how it’s going to end.
All we can say for sure right now is that Isak’s absence is hurting Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s team bossed their season-opener at Aston Villa on Saturday – even before their hosts were reduced to 10 men – but lacked a cutting edge, which was hardly surprising given they had to play a winger, Anthony Gordon, up front.
Newcastle are working hard trying to strengthen their attack before the window closes – they wanted another centre-forward even before Isak decided to down tools to try to force through a move to Liverpool – but it’s telling that Howe hasn’t been overly critical of the Swede’s conduct, at least not in public.
The manager is clearly still hoping that he can rebuild the bridges that Isak has burned on Tyneside – because he knows full well that Newcastle need Isak. Do Liverpool, though? Because the evening before Newcastle were held to a scoreless draw at Villa, the Reds were involved in a thrilling encounter with Bournemouth at Anfield that suggested that scoring goals should be the least of Arne Slot’s worries right now…
The build-up to Newcastle’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Monday is obviously going to be dominated by Alexander Isak. A striker in every sense, Isak is the protagonist of the most-discussed transfer saga of the summer so far – and we still don’t have any idea how it’s going to end.
All we can say for sure right now is that Isak’s absence is hurting Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s team bossed their season-opener at Aston Villa on Saturday – even before their hosts were reduced to 10 men – but lacked a cutting edge, which was hardly surprising given they had to play a winger, Anthony Gordon, up front.
Newcastle are working hard trying to strengthen their attack before the window closes – they wanted another centre-forward even before Isak decided to down tools to try to force through a move to Liverpool – but it’s telling that Howe hasn’t been overly critical of the Swede’s conduct, at least not in public.
The manager is clearly still hoping that he can rebuild the bridges that Isak has burned on Tyneside – because he knows full well that Newcastle need Isak. Do Liverpool, though? Because the evening before Newcastle were held to a scoreless draw at Villa, the Reds were involved in a thrilling encounter with Bournemouth at Anfield that suggested that scoring goals should be the least of Arne Slot’s worries right now…
When asked to share his emotions after Liverpool’s ridiculously dramatic 4-2 win over Bournemouth, Slot really didn’t know where to begin, admitting to reports that he would probably require at least half an hour to fully explain how he felt.
“I thought winning the league here would always be more special than winning a home game against Bournemouth,” the Reds manager said, “but the last six or seven minutes…. Wow! Wow, wow, wow!”
Slot’s excitement was understandable. On a night on which Anfield paid tribute to Diogo Jota, Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead, only to go back ahead with an 88th-minute volley from fan favourite Federico Chiesa that really was celebrated like a title-winning goal by the Kop.
“After the supports sung for him so many times during the game already and last season as well, I think it is very nice for him to give them something in return – and that’s definitely what he did tonight,” Slot said. “[It was] an unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes. I think it was a great game to watch. In the end we won it, so that helps for my emotions, but I think this is what you would like to see.”
Not everyone was quite so impressed with what they saw from Liverpool, though.
Jamie Carragher was among those deeply concerned by Liverpool’s performance from a defensive perspective. Just like in the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace the weekend before, the Reds were very susceptible to quick counter-attacks, with both of Bournemouth’s goals coming from brilliant breakaways.
Slot quite legitimately pointed out that Liverpool were without first-choice No.6 Ryan Gravenberch in both games and that fellow midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is not yet fully match fit. It’s also evident that the title-holders will have to get used to playing with a more attack-minded No.10 in Florian Wirtz, after enjoying so much success last year with a pressing machine like Dominik Szoboszlai.
However, during a fascinating post-match chat on Sky Sports the ever-interesting Slot also argued that committing a lot of men to attack is\”part of who we are”, which Carragher immediately admitted “worries me a little bit”- presumably because it evoked memories of the foolishly cavalier former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou. There seems little chance of Slot ever becoming quite so delusional, but Liverpool’s flaws were there for all the see on Friday.
After his horror-show at Wembley, Virgil van Dijk once again looked unusually vulnerable in defence, while it’s clear that both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have a lot to learn when it comes to knowing when to go beyond their wingers – and when to stay deep.
As Slot said on Sky Liverpool didn’t strike the right “balance” between attack and defence against Bournemouth, but that should come in time, particularly when Gravenberch returns to the starting line-up – because the Netherlands international’s importance to way in which Slot wants his side to play really cannot be overstated anymore.
However, Ibrahima Konate’s performance was extremely troubling, with the Frenchman turning in one of those calamitous displays that makes one wonder whether Liverpool should really be fighting so hard to get him to sign a new contract. Indeed, the Reds appeared to be more in need of a new centre-back than a new striker on Friday.
Of course, Liverpool have already brought in one new defender in Giovanni Leoni, whose move from Parma was confirmed shortly before the Bournemouth match, and the prodigiously gifted Italian should see plenty of game time this season, with Slot expected to rotate more regularly. However, it would be asking a lot of an 18-year-old to immediately stake a claim for a regular starting spot – particularly one who only made his Serie A debut last November. Leoni, for all his many talents, will need time to adjust to a new team, league, country and culture.
What Liverpool need is a Premier League-ready centre-back capable of going straight into the team if needs be, particularly as doubts persist over Joe Gomez’s ability to stay fit for an entire season, and that’s why the interest in Marc Guehi makes so much sense. The Crystal Palace skipper may not be big by centre-back standards, but he’s been one of the most dominant defenders in England over the past few years and underlined his ability to thrive at the very highest level at Euro 2024, where he was arguably the Three Lions’ best player aside from Bukayo Saka.
Essentially, signing Guehi would mean Liverpool having a player who is unquestionably capable of replacing Konate as the preferred partner for Van Dijk – and can maybe even take over as the undisputed leader of the back four whenever the Dutchman decides to move on. In that sense, Guehi – not Isak – really should be the champions’ top transfer priority right now.
Of course, one can easily understand why Liverpool have long been keen to sign Isak. He was arguably the best striker in the Premier League last season and there’s a feeling that he could take his game to a whole other level at a truly elite team, which is what Liverpool are very close to becoming.
He is clearly desperate to move to Anfield, too, and it’s very hard to be critical of the Reds for trying to make it happen (even if the nature of his transfer push is extremely distasteful). At the end of the day, opportunities to sign world-class No.9s do not come along very often – and the common consensus is that they always have to be taken.
Thanks to their previous prudence and impressive ability to ‘sell well’, Liverpool are also in a very strong financial position, meaning they could pull off a British-record deal for Isak without falling foul of the Premier League’s Profit u0026amp; Sustainability Rules (PSR). However, just because Liverpool could sign Isak, doesn’t mean they should. Or at least not at the expense of resolving their blatant defensive deficiencies.
Slot definitely needs another striker. The tragic passing of Jota has robbed him of arguably his best finisher, while Darwin Nunez is no longer an option off the bench, with the Uruguayan having moved to Saudi Arabia this summer.
As it stands, Hugo Ekitike is the only recognised centre-forward in the squad, and it was noticeable just how much Liverpool’s attacking threat diminished following the Frenchman’s withdrawal against both Palace and Bournemouth. Furthermore, the 23-year-old has already done enough in his first two competitive outings for his new team (two goals and one assist) to suggest that he deserves to be Liverpool’s leading man this season rather than taking on the role of Isak’s understudy.
It, thus, feels like Liverpool would be better off bringing in a back-up No.9 at a reasonable price rather than paying a club-record fee for a player that would simply have to start every single game.
Of course, Ekitike could be shifted out to the left-hand side to accommodate Isak through the middle, but that would mean dropping Cody Gakpo, who really does look set for a massive season now that he’s playing consistently in his preferred position on the wing.
Isak would obviously be a sensational signing for Liverpool, but it feels more like fantasy football than a pragmatic purchase. Clearly, Slot would have an embarrassment of riches up front, arguably the envy of every team in Europe, but if Liverpool don’t beat Newcastle on Monday, it’s likely to be because they’re short of quality in defence rather lacking quality in attack.
