Liverpool boss Arne Slot will have been overjoyed that his side took a 3-1 lead over Eintracht Frankfurt in Wednesday’s Champions League clash – but he’ll have twice the dilemma to think about on his return to England.
Liverpool had lost their last four games in all competitions, including a Champions League loss to Galatasaray to leave them in the knockout phase play-offs.
That sinking feeling would have repeated itself when full-back Rasmus Kristensen opened the scoring at the Deutsche Bank Park, but a nine-minute trio of goals gave the Reds a commanding lead by the interval, before another two in the second half handed them their biggest win of the campaign.
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However, despite the feel-good factor returning to the red half of Merseyside, Arne Slot now has a huge tactical decision on his hands with Andy Robertson having combined with Hugo Ekitike for their equaliser.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty ImagesAndy Robertson and Hugo Ekitike combining for Liverpool opener marks a huge decision for Arne Slot
Liverpool’s equaliser was one full of incisiveness. Already a goal down, Robertson’s quick thinking set Ekitike bearing down on goal, outpacing Robin Koch and sliding the ball into the net in the blink of an eye.
It’s obviously a positive aspect for Liverpool that they have the ability to do that, showing their quality all over the pitch to make a goal from nothing.
But for Arne Slot, it does give him a selection headache at both left-back and up front.
Liverpool fans questioned Milos Kerkez’s below-par performance against Manchester United on Sunday, with the Hungarian having been awful at left-back against the Red Devils, and that saw Robertson re-introduced to the team.
His superb assist will have done him a lot of favours to keep that place, but it does mean that the Hungarian is an expensive long-term replacement, simply warming the bench for the time being after Kerkez’s £40million move to Liverpool from Bournemouth.
Ekitike’s goal also issues Arne Slot with another headache. The Dutch boss surprisingly dropped Mohamed Salah for the clash in Germany, in favour of a striking partnership of Ekitike and Alexander Isak.
Yet it was the young Frenchman who was the better of the duo with his goal, and Isak was hooked at the break.
Slot will likely need to play Salah at right-wing to get the most balance out of his front three, and that means it’s a straight shoot-out between Ekitike and Isak for the spearhead role.
On current form, nobody can say Isak is ahead of Ekitike, which pushes Slot’s £40million Kerkez problem to £165million, after Isak’s £125million move from Newcastle to Liverpool.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesAlexander Isak has been a failure at Liverpool so far and that needs to change
Of course, Alexander Isak does have some credit in the bank when it comes to his Liverpool move.
54 Premier League goals in just 86 games for Newcastle prior to his summer transfer is an incredible record, and having failed to have a proper pre-season as a result of not playing to force a move through, he’s still not match fit.
That is a given reason as to why he was hooked at half-time, but the fact that he’s only scored once for the club in a low-key Carabao Cup fixture – one in which Ekitike scored the winner against Southampton before being sent off for removing his shirt – shows that the Frenchman is simply a long way ahead of where he is right now.
That means Isak has been a Liverpool failure so far. As the most expensive player in English history, he’s not provided the goods for the price tag the Reds paid, and it will be up to the Swede to impress in his cameo appearances before edging ahead of Ekitike in the pecking order.