Alexander Isak should be back in the coming weeks, and Liverpool’s alleged thinking around him and Hugo Ekitike is missing the mark.
Liverpool signed two elite strikers last summer, and the two have rarely been available at the same time.
They will be soon though, with Isak due back for Liverpool next month.
Liverpool think Ekitike can play out wide in that scenario, but that line of thinking doesn’t convince this fan.
Alexander Isak is set to surpass Hugo Ekitike as Liverpool’s main man. Who’s ready? 🔥
Alexander Isak pictured warming up ahead of Liverpool's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Credit: Joe Prior/Visionhaus/ Getty Images
It’s actually quite obvious what Arne Slot needs to do when everyone’s fit.
Liverpool’s best formation is obvious with Isak and Ekitike fit
It’s quite frustrating to hear that Liverpool are looking to force one of the best number nines in the Premier League out to the left wing.
Ekitike can play there, sure, but that’s not a good enough reason.
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Slot needs to do some serious work this summer to change his system to play to Liverpool’s strengths.
Those strengths? Two of the three best strikers in the Premier League, a magician of a number 10 in Florian Wirtz, and two high-flying full-backs in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Florian Wirtz celebrates scoring the team's second goal with Hugo Ekitike during the UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpool and Qarabag at Anfield
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
Maybe you disagree, but the obvious move as I see it is to move to a 3-4-1-2 formation, or failing that, a back four with a proper holding midfielder in front, who can drop in when the wide men burst forward.
Isak and Ekitike are both incredibly versatile, and have no issues with drifting out wide when the game-state calls for it.
But with Salah possibly leaving Liverpool, maybe the best move isn’t to replace him — the current strikers are the future of Liverpool’s front line.
Liverpool see one winger take himself off the shortlist
Even if Slot does decide to make that drastic change, it doesn’t mean he can’t inject wide playmaking when the game calls for it.
Anthony Gordon has been linked to Liverpool as a potential addition in that regard, but after scoring four goals in the first half of Newcastle’s Champions League playoff tie, he shut those rumours down.
He was asked about it by The Chronicle after Wednesday’s clash, saying: “”It’s the same old, same old. I think they just pick names out of a hat. They do.
“I haven’t heard anything; they might want to tell me before they tell you (the media). Of course. I have gone through enough transfer stuff now to know that it is all a load of rubbish.”
Pick one player you’d re-sign – Luis Diaz or Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Sounds like Anfield isn’t on the Scouser’s mind. Maybe Liverpool should direct their attention elsewhere, or maybe they should reassess if wingers are actually the way forward.
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