Arne Slot admits getting Alexander Isak more involved in games is “definitely on his list of things to improve” after another quiet performance from Liverpool’s No. 9.
Isak scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool in Sunday’s 2-0 win over West Ham, three months after his £125 million move from Newcastle.
But the Swede followed that up with another struggle against Sunderland on Wednesday night, attempting three shots on goal but failing to hit the target once.
The stats behind Alexander Isak’s touches at Liverpool
Isak touched the ball only 14 times in 86 minutes and just twice in the opposition penalty box, having registered a mere 13 touches and three in the box at West Ham three days previous.
Nottingham Forest‘s Igor Jesus (34.4) is the centre-forward to average the most touches per 90 minutes in this season’s Premier League, with Hugo Ekitike (31.5) not far behind in fourth.
The league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, averages considerably fewer at 23 per 90, joining Isak (21.9), West Ham‘s Callum Wilson (21.8), Forest’s Chris Wood (19.8) and Sunderland‘s Wilson Isidor (17.3) as the league’s five least-involved players.
Asked if Isak’s recent average dropping even further was a concern for him, Slot defended his striker and compared him to Haaland, but also acknowledged a big difference between the two.
Slot compares Isak’s involvement to Erling Haaland
“It’s not ideal for me, no. But do you know how many he had at Newcastle, on average? Twenty-two,” he told reporters.
“So in this league strikers don’t touch the ball that much, but the few times they do touch it, it’s quite nice if they the finish it off.
“I have no clue what Haaland’s stats are, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he maybe doesn’t touch it 100 times a game.
“But he does score a lot, so it’s more important for them to touch the ball at the right time than to touch it so many times.
“That’s the complete difference between Haaland and Alex, that Haaland touches it much more in moments where it matters – and there we have to improve.
“That’s clear and obvious. Us and him as well.”
How many touches do Isak and Haaland need per goal?
Clearly, unlike Haaland, Isak is not making up for his lack of involvement by taking his chances in the final third.
Isak has averaged a goal every 114 touches in this season’s Premier League, which is significantly worse than his touch-shy bedfellows Haaland (20.7), Wilson (35.5), Wood (59.5) and Isidor (39.8).
However Slot believes it is a team-wide problem, with the head coach eager to ensure Liverpool create more chances for the most expensive footballer in British history.
“I think he’s not the only No. 9 who suffers in some games from not getting as many chances,” he continued.
“I watched the second half of Leeds against City and I watched the whole game against Chelsea, and it’s not like at this level the No. 9 is involved in eight, nine, 10 chances every single half.
“But it’s obvious and clear to me that we as a team want to bring him more often in threatening situations.
“Before we went to only one goal conceded in two games, we had a lot of chances.
“Because we were a little bit more compact and maybe took a little bit less risk, we haven’t been able to create as many chances as we did in all the games before.
“So it’s definitely on my list of things to improve, getting our No. 9 more involved in the game, let alone more involved in the final third.”
