Arne Slot has offered his clearest acknowledgement yet that Liverpool are not doing enough to maximise Alexander Isak’s strengths, conceding that the team must adapt to bring the best out of their record signing — just as Manchester City structure their approach around Erling Haaland’s explosive presence in the penalty area.
Isak, who arrived at Anfield in the summer for a staggering £125 million from Newcastle United, finally opened his Premier League account for Liverpool during last weekend’s win over West Ham. It was a breakthrough moment the club hoped would spark momentum. Yet the Swedish striker was unable to build on that goal in Wednesday’s match against Sunderland, producing another subdued display that raised further concerns about his integration into Slot’s system.
While Slot has consistently defended Isak’s slow start, pointing to the player’s disrupted pre-season — in which he effectively staged a training strike at Newcastle to force through his exit — the Liverpool manager now admits the responsibility does not lie solely with the striker’s readiness or form. The tactical framework around him, he says, must evolve.
“He is not the only No 9 who suffers in some games from not getting many chances,” Slot said ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Leeds on Saturday, where Conor Bradley returns to the squad following injury. “At this level it’s not like the No 9 is involved in eight, nine, 10 chances every single half. But it is obvious and clear that we want to bring him into more threatening situations.”
Slot’s comments signal a shift from framing Isak’s struggles as a temporary adjustment problem to acknowledging deeper structural shortcomings in Liverpool’s attacking patterns. The Dutch manager noted that his team’s recent focus on defensive solidity has inadvertently limited their creativity in the final third.
“Before we went to only one goal conceded in two games [West Ham and Sunderland] we had a lot of chances,” Slot explained. “Because we are a little bit more compact and not taking as many risks, we have not been able to create as many chances as all of the games before. It is definitely one of the things on my list of things to improve to get our No 9 more involved in the game and more involved in the final third.”
This tactical conservatism has had a noticeable effect on Isak’s involvement. Over his last three league starts, the striker has averaged just 14 touches per match — an incredibly low figure for a forward tasked with being the focal point of Liverpool’s attack. Slot, however, was quick to downplay raw touch counts, emphasising the importance of where and when those touches occur.
“Do you know how many times he touched the ball at Newcastle on average? Twenty-two,” Slot said. “In this league strikers don’t touch the ball that much but a few times they do touch it, it’s quite nice if they finish it off. I have no clue what the stats of Haaland are but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t touch it 100 times a game, but he does score a lot. It is more important that they touch the ball in the right times than to touch it so many times. Haaland touches it much more where it matters and that’s where we need to improve. It is clear and obvious.”
Opta data contradicts Slot’s recollection, with Isak averaging 36.8 touches per match last season at Newcastle. But the broader point stands: elite strikers do not need frequent touches to be effective — they need meaningful ones. And Liverpool, Slot admits, have not yet succeeded in engineering those high-value moments for their marquee signing.
This acknowledgment marks a crucial moment in Slot’s early months at Liverpool. The manager has embraced a more compact, controlled style than his predecessors, prioritising structure and defensive stability. But the trade-off has been a noticeable decline in chance creation, particularly the kind of service that suits Isak’s strengths — explosive movement in the channel, quick combinations inside the penalty box, and incisive balls in behind.
Isak’s time at Newcastle showcased his ability to thrive when his team played vertically and aggressively, opening space for his intelligent runs. At Liverpool, the build-up has often been slower, more methodical, and less conducive to isolating defenders. The result is a world-class forward starved of touches in the areas where he is most dangerous.
Slot openly admits this cannot continue. Liverpool’s attack, though stable, lacks fluidity and urgency — traits that once defined the Klopp era. Slot has attempted to retain Liverpool’s trademark intensity but blend it with a possession-based structure. So far, the balance has been uneven.
The comparison to Erling Haaland also underscores the direction Slot wants Liverpool to travel. Manchester City do not require Haaland to constantly participate in deep build-up play; instead, they create patterns that funnel the ball into zones where the Norwegian is most lethal. Slot believes Isak deserves — and requires — similar strategic accommodation.
With the Premier League campaign still in its early stages, Slot remains confident that adjustments can be made to unlock Isak’s full potential. But he also understands that patience is finite, both for supporters and for a forward carrying the weight of a club-record fee.
The coming weeks could be pivotal. If Liverpool can evolve their structure and return to a more expansive attacking rhythm, Isak may yet blossom into the prolific Premier League force the club envisioned. If not, questions will only intensify.
For now, Slot has made his stance clear: responsibility lies not just with the player, but with the team — and with the head coach himself — to create a system where Isak can flourish.
