Liverpool have Alexander Isak back in their ranks, but his return to the starting lineup against PSG wasn’t as impactful as we were hoping for.
Isak’s return is even more significant now that Hugo Ekitike’s injury has ruled him out until 2027. It’s terrible news, but we can at least appreciate the luxury of having two top number nines at the club.
But we’re yet to see the best of the Swede, who had just five touches in his 45-minute appearance on Wednesday night. Simon Jordan saw that display, and came to the conclusion that Isak’s move to Liverpool could be charting the same path as Fernando Torres at Chelsea.
Who was Liverpool’s most disappointing player against PSG on Tuesday?
We needed so much more…
FBL-EUR-C1-LIVERPOOL-PSG
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
Simon Jordan makes flop comparison with Alexander Isak and Fernando Torres
The first thing to say here is that judging Isak off one performance after months out on the sidelines is unfair, but Jordan claims he is basing his take on everything he has seen from the 26-year-old since making the switch to Anfield.
He said on talkSPORT the day after Liverpool’s Champions League elimination: “He hasn’t scored goals when he’s been fit. He hasn’t been fit. So all of a sudden Isak is like, well, what is he? We all know he’s a top quality player. There’s no doubt about it.
“But when these big signings get made and they don’t hit the ground running, often they go bad. Now I think his quality is good enough to overcome that. But he’s now got to overcome the backdrop of the fact that he hasn’t started well. He’s under pressure.
“He’s a bit like the boy that came from Liverpool to Chelsea, Torres, who all of a sudden went from a player that could score goals, couldn’t stop scoring goals for Liverpool — I know he got injured and he lost a yard — but he was never the same player at Chelsea.”
Chelsea Press Conference to announce new signing Fernando Torres
Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
The Liverpool version of Torres has been used in comparison with Ekitike, who has a similar aesthetic to his game. But the Chelsea version of El Nino is a different player altogether, and one you don’t want to be compared to as a striker.
It’s true that Torres fell off massively when he left for Stamford Bridge, but we’re not there with Isak yet. This season has been a mess, from the early-season transfer saga to the leg break. It’s too soon to write him off as a Liverpool flop.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox