Liverpool supporters have been used to having one man to hang their hats on during some of their very best periods.
During their title-winning campaign last year, Mohamed Salah was that saviour, while Jurgen Klopp became the figurehead of the club while in charge. Go back further and it was Steven Gerrard.
With Gerrard and Klopp now departed and Salah not quite himself, though, Liverpool are now searching for their new rescuer. Given the run of form they have been on recently, they certainly need one.
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Performances have been poor on an individual and collective level, leading to worries from supporters that none of the Liverpool squad will step up.
But as he prepares to enter his first uninterrupted spell as a Liverpool player, we believe the stage is being cleared for Alexander Isak to make his grand statement.
Isak is fit again after missing five matches with a groin problem, and once he returns, he is ready to fire the Reds up the table and to Champions League glory.
Alexander Isak of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Alexander Isak is ready to show his true colours at Liverpool
Ironically given the public nature of his transfer saga over the summer, Isak has quietly become something of an afterthought so far this term.
The No. 9 has made only eight appearances for the Reds, five of them starts, scoring once and laying on one assist.
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More was expected, but there were signs before his injury that Isak was starting to click with his new teammates.
The disruption of being out of the team again will not have helped with that, but the worry of match fitness should at least have disappeared. If he is physically ready, Isak should come straight back in.
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From there, we are likely to see his new partnership with Hugo Ekitike truly start to gain momentum. How Arne Slot fits the two together is likely to inform how Liverpool play for the remainder of the campaign.
And if he can get on the pitch more often than not, then Isak will score goals. That is what he was brought in to do and that is what he has barely been able to stop doing for the past two seasons.
Liverpool signed Isak because he was seen as being a virtual guarantee. Although we have not seen that so far, our guess is that following the November international break, we will.
Isak can fire Liverpool to Champions League glory
Although Liverpool supporters are feeling a little down and out at the moment, all is not lost for the campaign just yet.
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“Every Liverpool player and fan knows that when Alexander Isak hits form, or whenever it clicks, he’s going to be a problem.”
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Alexander Isak of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
The Reds are still very much in with a shot at glory in the Champions League, and if they get their act together they should be one of the favourites.
Players like Isak and Florian Wirtz are good enough to make a difference where it really matters at the sharp end of the season.
With some slightly easier fixtures to come for Liverpool following the November international break, Isak should be allowed to build up a head of steam before finishing strongly.
Plenty will already be writing the Swede off, but they will do so at their own peril. The season is long, and Isak is ready to pull Liverpool up and put them on his back. Watch this space.