Alexander Isak made his highly anticipated Liverpool debut in the Reds’ Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Having completed a British record £125m transfer from Newcastle on deadline day (just at the start of this month’s international break) and sat out the win over Burnley last weekend, there was considerable excitement when the Swedish striker was named in Arne Slot’s starting XI for the visit of Los Rojiblancos to Anfield.
Following the 25-year-old’s arrival on Merseyside, the head coach has an enviable array of forward options from which to choose, just like online casino players deciding which games to enjoy.
How did Isak perform on his Liverpool debut?
Isak was substituted just before the hour mark against Atletico, with the Liverpool boss stressing several times that the new signing is unlikely to play a full match initially, having had so little football since the end of last season.
Although he didn’t manage to score (having done on his debut for Newcastle at Anfield in 2022), there were plenty of positive signs from the £125m man on Wednesday.
As per Sofascore, he took two shots (one on target), made two tackles, completed one dribble and played one key pass, although a 37.5% duel success rate and just 13 successful passes illustrate that there’s scope for some improvement.
What did stand out was how effectively he linked up with fellow summer signing Florian Wirtz, with the two having a remarkable chemistry considering that it was their first time playing together.
As noted by Gregg Evans for The Athletic, his best spell of the match came in the minutes after he was briefly floored by a heavy challenge from Robin Le Normand, which suggests that Isak is able to roll with the punches and use such exchanges as motivational fuel.
A positive first Liverpool outing for Isak
Liverpool Echo writer Ian Doyle awarded the 25-year-old a 7/10 in his post-match player ratings, a steady mark for the striker to collect on his debut.
The general consensus from Isak’s first game for the Reds is that there are plenty of positive signs to take and there’s likely to be further improvements in the weeks and months ahead as he continues to integrate into the team.
Given the vast transfer fee that he commanded, there’ll be an expectation on him to get amongst the goals sooner rather than later, especially having already proven that he can excel in the Premier League.
From what we saw on Wednesday, though, there’s every reason to feel confident that we won’t have to wait too long for the Swede’s first goal in Liverpool colours!