Are Liverpool playing to Ekitike's strengths? (Image credit: Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Liverpool's Alexander Isak transfer saga of the summer has largely been forgotten due to the striker’s injury problems this season.
That spending spree attracted a lot of attention, but less was made of the attacking options that departed the club. Luis Diaz was a vital component in Liverpool's pressing system and has arguably elevated his game to a higher level in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
Darwin Nunez had a less successful time at Anfield, although his physical attributes did cause opposition defenders problems, whilst his rawness and unpredictability could be a positive on occasion. The tragic passing of Diogo Jota hit the dressing room the hardest, and his natural finishing and pace on the pitch have been sorely missed; Mohamed Salah’s decline this season, meanwhile, has meant the team overall has needed to find more solutions to score goals.
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Hugo Ekitike certainly settled the fastest out of all the club’s new arrivals, as he scored three goals in his first five appearances. He has 11 Premier League goals this term and is set to be the first traditional striker to be the club’s top scorer since Luis Suarez in 2013/14.
The forward's rise from Paris Saint-Germain reserve to Merseyside favourite has been swift: at Eintracht Frankfurt last season, his speed and dribbling ability were at the forefront of the team’s counter-attacks. He illustrated his calm demeanour in the penalty area with 15 goals in 31 starts, whilst his physicality and mobility made him highly sought after.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night, however, his team’s lack of creativity led him to drop deeper throughout the first half.
With just 15 minutes played, the attacker ran from the halfway line to the penalty area, dribbling past several opponents before setting up Jeremie Frimpong for an effort. In the absence of Isak and Florian Wirtz, the forward isn’t getting enough service and has been forced to try and create chances of his own.
On the hour mark, he isolated Yerson Mosquera on the break before his cross was almost turned into Wolves’ own net. In the closing stages, his excellent first touch took him past Hugo Bueno, but as he attempted to run towards goal, he was manhandled to the floor by the Spaniard.
Ekitike isn’t the only one scoring goals for Liverpool, but he will expect more inventiveness from his fellow attackers, and they can’t rely on set-pieces to the same extent as Arsenal.
Salah and Cody Gakpo often look pedestrian and fail to beat their opposing team’s defenders, even though the Egyptian scored the equaliser at Molineux it was his first strike since November. In midfield, they are moving the ball slowly and not finding their striker often enough.
Frimpong looks like he can help ease the burden with his vertical running once he gets more games, and Ekitike was seen giving him instructions in the first half, with his manager intervening.
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“What did not change from the last five, six or seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from the open play chances that we do create,” admitted Slot after the match.
“Not as many as I would like after all the ball possession we have, but enough and far more than the other team.”
Whether it’s Slot or someone else at the helm next season, it will be interesting to see how this team progresses in an attacking sense and how they get the best out of both Isak and Ekitike.
If Salah departs, then one option would be to play the two strikers together and play a diamond midfield with Wirtz at the tip.
With Liverpool looking at potential new wingers, another choice could be for one of the forwards to operate from the left and the other take a more central role, alternating throughout.
Either way, Ekitike has shown this term that he can become a hero on the Kop, but he needs more from his Liverpool teammates.
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