Liverpool Boss Confirms Isak Fitness Struggle
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has issued a frank admission concerning the fitness of his club-record £125 million striker, Alexander Isak, revealing he must now prioritise the Swede's minutes at the direct expense of other forwards. Isak, whose contentious move from Newcastle United shattered the British transfer record, has yet to complete a full 90 minutes for his new club.
The Sweden international has been sidelined since picking up a groin injury during a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on October 22. Despite a brief 28-minute appearance for his country against Switzerland recently, Slot confirmed the player remains significantly behind his teammates in physical conditioning.
A Necessary Sacrifice for the Team
With a demanding schedule of seven games in the next 22 days, Slot finds himself in a difficult position. He acknowledges that to build Isak's fitness, he has no choice but to start him in matches, even if it means overlooking other attacking players who are currently in better physical shape.
"We can improve as a team and we will improve definitely as individuals," Slot stated. "With Alex, it will still take a bit of time but he will end up being the player he was at Newcastle if we get him fit." The coach expressed absolute conviction that a fully fit Isak would be a "big, big, big plus for this team," but conceded that reaching that point requires giving him minutes when others might be more match-ready.
Slot's concerns are compounded by an injury to another major signing, £116 million midfielder Florian Wirtz, who will miss the upcoming match against Nottingham Forest and likely the Champions League tie with PSV Eindhoven due to muscle damage. The massive combined investment in Isak and Wirtz was intended to supercharge Liverpool's attack, but so far, Isak's sole contribution was a goal against Southampton in the Carabao Cup on September 23.
A Tailored Fitness Plan
Slot is taking a proactive approach to the situation, revealing he held discussions with Liverpool's strength-and-conditioning department to devise the fastest route to full fitness for his star striker. This personalised plan has already seen unusual measures, such as Isak being instructed to do extra running at half-time during the Southampton match, a pre-arranged part of his stamina-building regimen.
"People asked why did we do this (against Southampton) but it is to build him up," Slot explained. "If he plays a game, he has to do more accelerations and decelerations. If he does some running, you can give him a bigger tank." The Dutch manager emphasised the constant balance he must strike between what is best for Isak's individual development and what is best for the team's immediate results.
Slot remains unwavering in his belief that fans will soon see the player who dazzled at Newcastle and Real Sociedad, attributing the delay to a disrupted pre-season where Isak trained alone amid his transfer saga. He pointed to similar situations with other squad members like Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley, whose pre-seasons were also interrupted, highlighting the collective challenge.
"I can see in training sessions, if he is fully rested, then you can see his quality," Slot affirmed. "He is an incredible player." The task now is to translate that training-ground quality into consistent match-day performances, a process that will require patience and, in the short term, some difficult selection decisions.
