Liverpool fans will be hoping Alexander Isak's two goals against Ipswich will be a turning point in his Liverpool career, but his biggest test is just around the corner
IPSWICH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Alexander Isak of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on September 04, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Alexander Isak may have just kickstarted his Liverpool career(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool’s win over Ipswich felt like a significant moment in Alexander Isak’s Anfield career.
Fans have had to wait a long time for the club’s record signing to really start showing his worth, and Friday felt like the first time that truly happened. This was the Isak that Liverpool was so determined to pry away from Newcastle.
His two goals were the perfect demonstration of what the Reds thought they would be getting 12 months ago. Yes, Ipswich’s goalkeeper should have done much better, but the power Isak showed with his first before turning Jacob Greaves inside out for the second were the marks of a truly top class striker.
Not only that, but Isak seemed to be brimming with a confidence that we hadn’t seen previously at Liverpool. Whereas, in other games, you felt like you could count on one hand the amount of times you actually saw him on the ball, at Portman Road, he seemed like he wanted to be involved in everything.
And that was perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his performance, and why this will hopefully be the turning point in his time with the Reds.
"He is a massive player for us,” Andoni Iraola said after the game about Isak.
“My demands won’t be about the goals. I know about his speed, he is in good shape and will produce the numbers.
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“My fight with him is about other stuff, how he will help the team in other situations. He is getting a lot of minutes and scoring goals so we are happy.”
The Liverpool boss is right not to doubt his striker’s qualities as a goal-getter, and as he showed on Friday, a confident Isak will do the other work asked of him. If he’s to maintain that confidence though, he needs to keep playing.
That was, ultimately, the biggest problem last season. Liverpool simply couldn’t get him on the pitch often enough, and when they could, he clearly wasn’t fit enough.
IPSWICH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Alexander Isak of Liverpool applauds the fans after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on September 04, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Alexander Isak's fitness is about to be tested as his workload increases(Image: Getty Images)
Having now started three games in a row for the first time for the Reds, Isak’s biggest test is just around the corner. The Champions League returns on Wednesday, and suddenly, the workload is going to increase exponentially.
From here on out, Liverpool will be playing twice nearly every week until at least until the beginning of February, and it will hope much further beyond that. As Liverpool’s first-choice striker and record signing, Isak will be expected to play all the biggest games, which will test his fitness to the extreme.
So far, the signs are promising, but with Hugo Ekitike not likely to be back until the end of December at the earliest, Isak is going to have to take on that workload. If he can prove he can handle it, his redemption may well be complete.