Image Credits: Imago Images
Alexander Isak was involved from the moment he stepped off the bench for Sweden against Norway on Monday night. For maybe the first time all season, Liverpool fans finally saw the version of their No.9 they thought they were getting.
Picking the ball up on the left, he drove straight at defenders with real purpose, gliding past challenges before bending a wonderful finish into the far corner in the 3-1 defeat.
It was the kind of direct, decisive burst we simply haven’t seen often enough in red this year, where injuries, system tweaks and a misfiring attack have all played their part in blunting his natural game.
Yet on international duty, with yellow and blue on his back and a bit more space to work in, Isak suddenly looked liberated.
The movement was sharper, the touches cleaner, and the confidence to take responsibility in the final third was obvious.
For Liverpool supporters watching on, it was a timely reminder of his quality – and maybe a slightly painful one too, given how disjointed his club season has felt at times.
After the game, though, Isak made it clear that mentally he has parked Anfield for now as he focuses fully on Sweden’s World Cup preparations:
“I’ve kind of disconnected from Liverpool now that I’m here [with Sweden]. It’s always sad when a coach has to leave. That’s usually the first position to change when things go badly. But as I said, I don’t know much about what has happened or will happen. I wish him all the best,” he said as quoted by Viaplay.
If Liverpool can find a way, under Andoni Iraola, to tap into the fearless, front-foot version of Isak that lit up this Nordic derby, that “disconnect” could yet turn into exactly the reset he needs. For now, Reds fans will just be hoping that the goal against Norway is a glimpse of what’s to come back at Anfield next season.