Alexander Isak Receives Mixed Reviews on Liverpool Debut

Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut on Wednesday night and earned mixed reviews.

Isak joined the Reds from Newcastle United on deadline day for a British record transfer of £125 million. That deal took Liverpool’s summer spend to £446.5m in what was a record-breaking Premier League window.

The 25-year-old arrived at Anfield a little rusty, having missed pre-season at Newcastle as part of his attempts to force through a move to Merseyside.

Indeed, prior to Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid, his only game time since the end of last season had been a 20-minute cameo for Sweden against Kosovo last Monday.

Alexander Isak makes Liverpool debut in dramatic Champions League win

Isak started against Atletico. He was on the pitch as Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead inside six minutes thanks to goals from Andy Robertson and Mo Salah, before Atletico pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.

The Swede was then subbed after 58 minutes, receiving a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd.

Anfield was stunned in the 81st minute when Marcos Llorente netted his second goal of the night to equalise for the Spanish side.

But Liverpool, for the fifth game in a row, found a late winner — this time Virgil van Dijk was the hero.

After Wednesday’s victory, Liverpool are now joint 6/1 favourites — alongside Arsenal and Barcelona — in the outright Champions League betting odds.

Stats from Isak’s Liverpool debut

Isak had 25 touches of the ball during his 58 minutes on the pitch.

He registered two shots — one which forced a save out of Jan Oblak — and completed 81.3% of his 16 passes, including one key pass.

Without the ball, he pressed hard and completed two tackles.

Isak’s debut was a big event and he was under heavy scrutiny, including from broadcasters TNT Sports, who produced a timeline graphic after just 10 minutes detailing all of his involvements — good and bad.

His first involvement was a misplaced pass after 47 seconds, his second saw him dispossessed 50 seconds later.

Some viewers accused TNT Sports of “hate watching” Isak.

Some Liverpool fans impressed by Isak debut

Many Liverpool supporters were impressed by what they saw from Isak on his first outing for the club.

One wrote on social media: “This is how good Isak looks after not playing a competitive game for four months?”

Another declared: “Isak at half match fitness, barely played any minutes in four months and today he performed 1000% better than both Sesko and Gyokeres.”

A fourth fan added: “For a debut after no pre-season, he looked sharp! His link-up play with Wirtz was especially encouraging. Once he’s fully fit, he’ll be an absolute nightmare for defences.”

A different fan echoed that sentiment: “If this is Isak at half fitness it’s over for everyone once he’s at full fitness.”

Others claimed Isak had a “decent game”, “looked sharp in the box” and was “unlucky not to score”.

Isak debut criticised online

Not everyone spoke so positively.

A Newcastle fan branded him a “waste of money”, adding that Hugo Ekitike “should be fuming” at being dropped to make space for Isak.

Other fans described his debut performance as “rubbish”, while one Liverpool supporter tweeted: “Very average tonight — but needs more games to give a fair assessment. Definitely NOT good enough to wear that No 9 shirt though!”

Arne Slot’s verdict on Isak debut

Liverpool manager Arne Slot appeared satisfied with what he saw of his new striker.

Speaking after Wednesday’s five-goal thriller, Slot said: “In the 60 minutes he played, he seemed to be quite fit to me. It wasn’t as if after 10 minutes he was already very tired. He could play at this level quite well after one or two weeks of team sessions.

“He can play football and he’s a joy to watch. That is not a surprise to me. He was fitter than I expected, but the fans can’t get their hopes too high. We play three times a week and that’s a bit too much for him still.

“We have two great number nines [Isak and Hugo Ekitike] and we’re going to use both of them.”

Next up for Liverpool is a Merseyside derby clash with Everton at Anfield on Saturday, when Isak is expected to make his Premier League bow for the Reds.