{"id":289573,"date":"2025-07-25T03:36:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T03:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/289573\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T03:36:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T03:36:22","slug":"three-ways-liverpool-fc-could-line-up-with-alexander-isak-in-new-look-attack-alongside-hugo-ekitike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/289573\/","title":{"rendered":"Three ways Liverpool FC could line up with Alexander Isak in new-look attack alongside Hugo Ekitike"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Sweden forward, who scored 23 Premier League goals last season, has not travelled with the Newcastle squad on their pre-season tour of Asia.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool have just signed Hugo Ekitike for \u00a379million but are still interested in Isak and the latest developments open the door to a move to Anfield.<\/p>\n<p>Arne Slot has been keen to bolster his attacking options ahead of the new season, with Ekitike and Florian Wirtz already brought in.<\/p>\n<p>Here, Standard Sport looks at how Isak could fit in on Merseyside.<\/p>\n<p>Isak and Ekitike playing together<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool are the team to beat next season with or without the addition of Isak.<\/p>\n<p>So, the thought of adding him to a frontline that already contains Salah, Wirtz and Ekitike is a fearsome proposition and one that would not necessarily force Arne Slot to pick between his two new strikers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/alexanderisak16032025a-jpg.jpeg\" width=\"1640\" height=\"1140\" alt=\"Alexander Isak celebrates doubling Newcastle's lead against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kgsspP\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Isak scored against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last season<\/p>\n<p>Action Images via Reuters<\/p>\n<p>Ekitike is a versatile and mobile forward. A selfless player who can contribute in different phases of play. His movement, whether dropping deep or pulling wide, can help create space for others, namely Isak.<\/p>\n<p>Isak is a more natural goalscorer than Ekitike, whose 12 assists last season speak to a player who is willing to create opportunities for his team-mates.<\/p>\n<p>There is no reason why the two of them couldn&#8217;t play together, with Ekitike pulling defenders out of position to create space for Isak to run into.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Liverpool XI (4-2-2-2):<\/strong> Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Ekitike, Isak<\/p>\n<p>Isak through the middle with Ekitike as a left-winger<\/p>\n<p>Playing Isak through the middle would make the most sense for Liverpool, who are used to playing with one striker, but that doesn&#8217;t mean Slot can&#8217;t start Ekitike as well.<\/p>\n<p>The Frenchman&#8217;s versatility and pace mean that while he&#8217;s not naturally a wide player, he can operate from the left flank.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ekitike-14072025.jpeg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"694\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kgsspP\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Liverpool have just signed Hugo Ekitike for \u00a379m<\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>This would allow Isak to play in a more natural role, acting as a focal point for Liverpool&#8217;s attack while still giving minutes to Ekitike.<\/p>\n<p>If Isak arrives, Ekitike will have to accept that he is no longer the figurehead of Liverpool&#8217;s team, and so he will have to make do with whatever opportunities he is given.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): <\/strong>Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Eikitike, Isak<\/p>\n<p>Isak starting ahead of Ekitike<\/p>\n<p>Ekitike is a forward of tremendous promise, but were Liverpool to seal a move for Isak then the expectation would be that Ekitike would have to work around the Swede.<\/p>\n<p>It seems remarkable to even think, given the amount Liverpool paid for Ekitike, that he would have to act as an understudy. But with Slot preferring a 4-2-3-1 formation with a lone striker leading the line, Isak&#8217;s arrival, likely for a record British transfer fee, could see Ekitike relegated to the bench.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ed99a57fcb1680bd4e9a649c91436ae4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzQ3ODM0NDA4-2.79874263.jpg\" width=\"3392\" height=\"2261\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kgsspP\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Isak scored 23 Premier League goals last season<\/p>\n<p>PA Wire<\/p>\n<p>Isak is used to operating by himself and will no doubt thrive with the creative thrust of Wirtz and Mohammed Salah behind him.<\/p>\n<p>Isak was far and away the Premier League&#8217;s most consistent forward last season, and he will relish the chance to spearhead Liverpool&#8217;s ascent for the title.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): <\/strong>Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Isak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sweden forward, who scored 23 Premier League goals last season, has not travelled with the Newcastle squad&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[9261,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-289573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-alexander-isak","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114911784888425471","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}