Alexander Isak has had to deal with a raft of criticism both before and after his move from Newcastle to Liverpool last summer.
The Swede was vilified in the media for the way he pushed to leave the Magpies, and has since been turned into something of a laughing stock after failing to hit the ground running with the Reds.
On Sunday, Isak finally answered some of his critics, firing home a brilliant first Premier League goal for Liverpool in a comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham.
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Alexander Isak shakes hands with Arne Slot after being substituted during Liverpool's Premier League match against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Still, the No. 9’s instinctive first-time finish was not enough to keep some people off his back.
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf is never one to pull his punches, and when assessing Isak’s performance against West Ham, the World Cup winner threw out some more harsh words.
Alexander Isak can’t escape criticism despite goal
Prior to his goal, it had been another frustrating performance for Isak against West Ham. He saw a close-range shot saved by Alphonse Areola, but otherwise the Sweden international looked off the pace again.
This did not escape the attention of Leboeuf, who told ESPN FC that he should be dropped for his compatriot Hugo Ekitike.
Alexander Isak reacts with his hands on his head during Liverpool's Premier League match against West Ham United at the London Stadium
Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images
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“Even if Isak scored a goal, for one hour he was appalling for me. If I were Ekitike – my fellow compatriot – I would be very upset.
“When he [Ekitike] came on we saw the difference, his movement, his technique, what he does for the team, the chances he can create. I would be very upset because, ok, my price-tag is less than Isak but my performances are better.
“Isak scored, yes, good, that saves his performance, but that was not enough. It was funny to see him being surprised to be substituted when it was only fair to Ekitike.”
Score, don’t score, it seems Isak can simply never do enough to keep some from having it in for him.
Catch up on the highlights as Liverpool beat West Ham 2-0
Frank Leboeuf misses the point on Isak
While there is some credence to the suggestion that Ekitike should be starting for Liverpool, it should be at the expense of Isak.
The two players can start together, and it is only injury and match fitness related issues which have stopped that from happening so far.
Regardless of Ekitike, though, Leboeuf has completely missed the point on Isak. His job in the team is to bury chances such as the one which came his way on Sunday.
The £120m man has faced so much heat this season for not finding the net, it is the one thing he badly needed to start doing in order to begin justifying his enormous price-tag.
Isak could be completely anonymous for 89 minutes of every match for Liverpool, but if he pops up with a finish like the one at the London Stadium in the 90th, he should be absolutely immune from criticism.
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