Concerns have been raised about Alexander Isak despite the Liverpool striker opening his account for the season against Nottingham Forest
Alexander Isak of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League 2026/27 match against Nottingham Forest
Liverpool is still struggling to get the best out of Alexander Isak, according to one pundit(Image: Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Former England goalkeeper and Match of the Day pundit Joe Hart has shared his one concerning observation about Liverpool striker Alexander Isak, despite the Swede getting himself on the scoresheet in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Reds once again gave themselves a mountain to climb as they fell behind in a second consecutive game. Against Newcastle United last week, they had to equalize twice to secure a point, and this weekend's clash with Forest followed a similar storyline.
Dan Ndoye stunned Anfield into silence as he fired the visitors in front in the first half. In the second, Isak met a cross from Cody Gakpo to score the crucial equalizer.
READ MORE: Andoni Iraola shares Victor Munoz verdict after first goal for Liverpool
Much like last week, the parity was short-lived as Alisson conceded a penalty 10 minutes later that was calmly converted by Morgan Gibbs-White. It took a late stunner from Victor Munoz to level the scoreline a second time, but Andoni Iraola's men were unable to find that all-important winning goal in the closing stages.
Despite Isak's crucial goal in the second half, plenty of concern has been raised about his lack of involvement in games. In the first half on Saturday afternoon, the striker had just six touches, one accurate pass, and zero shots on goal.
"It is clear that Liverpool haven't worked out how to play with Alexander Isak yet," said Hart, who is a pundit on the BBC's Match of the Day. "At Newcastle, everything flowed through him.
"That was down to a trust thing that they had built up over time — their midfield knew exactly where he was, and they didn't even need to look up as he'd be there waiting.
Alexander Isak of Liverpool scores his team’s first goal during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest
Isak scored Liverpool's first equalizer against Nottingham Forest(Image: Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
"At Liverpool, that trust just isn't there at the moment — no one is feeling it, and he isn't that central point, which is leading to him looking lost and isolated."
Isak endured a challenging start to life at Liverpool last season, owing to the lack of a preseason as his transfer to Merseyside dragged on until deadline day. When he finally started to hit form before Christmas, an unfortunate leg break ruled him out for a number of months.
A promising World Cup for Sweden, followed by a productive preseason, means optimism was high heading into the new campaign. Still, despite the goal against Forest, Hart believes Iraola faces a significant conundrum over who to build Liverpool's attack around moving forward.
"Iraola has some big decisions to make," the pundit added. "Does he base his team round him [Isak] or does he try to find a different solution within his squad? In my opinion he's got to commit to what the club have done by investing so heavily in Isak.
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"There's no point signing these players if you aren't going to use them properly and play to their strengths. There's no doubting Isak's quality - they are just at a bit of a crossroads at the moment."