Arne Slot has faced challenge after challenge this season, from Liverpool‘s horrid run of nine defeats in 12 to Mohamed Salah’s explosive interview at Leeds.
How Slot deals without Alexander Isak is the next big question.
The Swede has hardly had a flying start to life at Anfield since making the £125m move from Newcastle in the summer, but the movement and finish for his goal against Tottenham on Saturday showed exactly why Liverpool signed him.
“You need to be at the top of the game to impact a game. And it took months before we could bring him up. We always knew it would take him time. And that’s why it’s so unlucky that he’s now injured,” said Slot.
“We all saw he was getting closer and closer to the player that he was last season at Newcastle.”
Slot said it is a “long injury” and Isak would be out for “a couple of months” and that is probably the best case scenario for Liverpool. It will, in all likelihood, be March by the time Isak can play football again.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will make a move for another attacker in January, with expensive solutions to short-term problems not part of the club model.
Hugo Ekitike is also thriving with eight league goals this season, with Slot saying the 23-year-old has “already adapted to the Premier League.”
Asked about the possibility of recalling Harvey Elliott – who hasn’t played since October – from Aston Villa, Slot said: “Harvey is an Aston Villa player and he is supposed to be going there for a year. If the question is about him then the best thing to ask is at Villa, who are doing quite well by the way.”
Isak has only made 10 starts for Liverpool since signing but with him now out of contention and Salah away on duty at the African Cup of Nations, Slot may be forced into a tactical restructure to deal with the Swede’s absence.