Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: match review
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker discussed Liverpool’s summer signings Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.
Olivier Giroud believes that Liverpool strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are capable of playing together.
The duo were signed by the Reds in the summer transfer window for a combined fee that could surpass £200 million. Ekitike moved to Anfield from Eintracht Frankfurt in July for a fee of up to £79 million.
Despite Ekitike’s arrival, Liverpool continued their pursuit of Isak - and broke the British transfer record by paying £125 million on transfer deadline day. Isak’s interrupted pre-season at Newcastle United has meant he’s had a slow start to his Reds career and netted only once in the Premier League.
Ekitike, meanwhile, has made a blistering opening and his double in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion took him to seven goals in the league and 10 in all competitions.
What’s been said
And his fellow Frenchman Giroud has been highly impressed by Ekitike’s recent performances. Speaking on Sky Sports, Les Bleus’ all-time top goalscorer said: “Yes for sure [people in France are starting to take notice of Ekitike].
“He is now part of the French squad, even though there are so many talented strikers in that team. He has a good chance of being called up for the World Cup. It was not easy for him when they signed Isak for so much money but, at the end, he plays a lot of games and is quite efficient and finishes well with his composure in the box. He’s got that ability to finish well the work of the team. He can play on the side so [is]versatile.”
Ekitike and Isak have played alongside each other only twice so far. The most recent was during last week’s 1-0 victory at Inter Milan in the Champions League in a two-man attack. However, the pair didn’t play a single pass to each other.
However, Giroud suggested that Ekitike and Isak might work if the former is deployed on the left flank rather than as a centre-forward - something that Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has yet to experiment with. “Why not, why not?” added the 2018 World Cup winner. He can play on the wing and Isak as a No.9. It depends on the team you face. If you know you’re going to have the ball all game, it’s another string to your bow.”
Ahead of the Brighton triumph, Slot discussed the prospect of Ekitike and Isak being partnered together more frequently. He said: "The more they play together the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate. I saw promising things from the both of them, it's only the second time they've played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future. Alex got a knock in the first half, so let's see how he recovers from that today and if he is able to start tomorrow."
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