Liverpool beat Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round with Alexander Isak scoring his first goal for the club.
It was still the first half, but the Reds did it again: a late goal against the run of play to put them ahead. Game plan-wise, Southampton executed their strategy much better than Liverpool in the first 45 minutes.
However, they were dealt a huge blow as goalkeeper Alex McCarthy gifted Federico Chiesa the ball inside his own box. The Italian then served Alexander Isak, who opened his Liverpool account to make it 1-0.
Isak left the game at half-time and his replacement, Hugo Ekitike, gave the Reds the winner after the Saints had gone level through Shea Charles. But the Swede managed to make his mark in a few different ways.
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In this article, we’ll cover:
Isak’s struggles due to the rest of the Liverpool team
Arne Slot made a series of changes in Liverpool’s starting XI to face Southampton. Debuts for Giorgi Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni, youngsters Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni with game time and Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo in the heart of midfield.
This led to the Reds struggling mightily playing from the back. There was little progression and the build-up was highly inefficient. As a result, all forwards were left on an island, isolated from the rest of the team.
Isak had a decent chance to score in the first minute but didn’t place his shot as well as he could have. Then, thanks to McCarthy’s mistake, put the second one away from a Chiesa pass. Curiously, both shots came from Saints turning the ball over inside their own defending third.
Key stats:
- 17 touches (Ranked #25)
- 6 accurate passes (Ranked #26)
Arne Slot’s plans for Isak
The new Liverpool No.9 didn’t have the liveliest of games, mostly due to his team’s collective struggles. But Arne Slot limited his qualities a little bit.
The Dutch manager had Isak playing mainly on the right side, looking for combinations with Jeremie Frimpong down the flank.
Frimpong was acting more as a wing-back (almost a winger while Andrew Robertson stayed back with the two centre-backs). The duo tried to connect three times but two of them ended in plays that were offside.
Only once did Isak have the chance to receive the ball down the left facing the goal, something he excelled at for Newcastle. He immediately took two defenders on, got to the byline and put a dangerous cross into the box. That was also basically Liverpool’s only successful 1v1 play in the whole first half, already late on.
Just a few minutes later, like a true number nine, he was in the right place at the right time to put the Reds up 1-0.
Key stats:
- 2 shots on target (Ranked #1)
- 2 total big chances (Ranked #1)
- 2 take-ons completed (Ranked #1)
Body language and off-ball work
Isak missed Newcastle’s pre-season in an attempt to force a transfer to Liverpool. That even led to him being a back-up for Sweden in the international break.
But he started the Reds’ Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, playing 58 minutes. And chances are his half-time substitution against Southampton was already ‘programmed’ beforehand.
Considering all of that, despite clearly not being fully fit, it would’ve been nice to see him put in a better effort against the Saints.
The Swede didn’t enter the pitch like he’s fighting for position against another new signing that also cost Liverpool a lot of money. He did play his role in trying to trap the opponents in the side they chose to play out from, but not much more than that.
Key stats:
- 0 possessions won (Ranked #27)
- 0 tackles made (Ranked #18)
Still, it’s early and Isak will have more opportunities to prove to Arne Slot that he deserves the starting spot over Hugo Ekitike. And Slot is probaly happy to have both of them in the squad, seeing as he adapts the collective play style depending on who is leading the line.
He allows Ekitike to drop deep and try to participate more when it’s him as the number nine. In a similar way, Isak also has the freedom to play on the last shoulder and look for runs in behind. It was the best of both worlds for the Reds with both of their strikers on the scoresheet against Southampton.
A selection dilemma
Isak looks set to make his first start for Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend. That’s because Ekitike was sent off for two yellow cards in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton.
The second booking came as he celebrated his late winner by taking his top off. Something Slot wasn’t happy with after the game.
“Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and to a certain extent, stupid, as you have got to control your emotions,” Slot told reporters. Ekitike had received his first booking for punching the ball away after a free-kick was given to Southampton.
“I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner I can maybe understand. He is like, ‘This is all about me, what did I do’.
“But I am old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old. I never played at this level but did score a few goals and if I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me’.
“It’s always best to control your emotions. If you can’t, do it in a way that doesn’t lead to a yellow card.”
Now, Isak has generally struggled against Crystal Palace, scoring just one goal in six matches vs the Eagles. But that did come in his most recent meeting.
Ekitike against Isak is an interesting battle. Looking at their league stats from last season, Isak was the more natural goalscorer. The Swede averaged 0.8 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League, compared to Ekitike’s 0.6 goals per 90 in the Bundesliga. He was also more accurate with his shots and had a better conversion rate.
But Ekitike averaged more shots per 90, and was more involved in the linkup side of the striker role. Ekitike also had more success in duels and had more touches in the opposition box than Isak. The starting striker will likely depend on what Slot wants on a per-game basis. But let’s be honest. It’s a fantastic problem to have.