{"id":447545,"date":"2025-09-24T05:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T05:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/447545\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T05:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T05:00:19","slug":"liverpool-star-explains-ballon-dor-snub-as-newcastle-send-fresh-alexander-isak-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/447545\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool star explains Ballon d’Or snub as Newcastle send fresh Alexander Isak message"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool have made a perfect start to the Premier League season and are top of the table after five games, with a visit to Crystal Palace next up for Arne Slot’s side<\/p>\n

Chris Burns<\/strong> Senior Sports Writer<\/p>\n

03:30, 24 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"AlexanderAlexander Isak joined Liverpool in the summer(Image: Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Liverpool’s defence of their Premier League title<\/a> is going from strength to strength. The Reds maintained their flawless start in the league with a victory over Everton <\/a>in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Goals from Ryan Gravenberch <\/a>and Hugo Ekitike ensured Liverpool<\/a> claimed all three points against David Moyes<\/a>‘ team. Arne Slot’s squad are now five points ahead at the top after Arsenal and Manchester City ended in a 1-1 draw on Sunday, while Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United.<\/p>\n

However, Liverpool’s credentials will be put to the test as they face challenging away matches against Crystal Palace and Chelsea next. A daunting journey to Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray also looms in the Champions League<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Florian Wirtz makes blunt admission about Liverpool form and Jurgen Klopp advice – ‘Don\u2019t want to hear’<\/a>READ MORE: Man United duo respond as Ousmane Dembele beats Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah to Ballon d’Or<\/a><\/p>\n

Amid all the fallout from the Ballon d’Or ceremony<\/a>, where four Liverpool stars ranked in the top 30, as well as comments from rival Premier League<\/a> managers about the Reds, we take a look at all the latest news from Anfield<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mac Allister reveals Ballon d’Or snub<\/p>\n

Four Liverpool players were featured in the Ballon d’Or top 30 on Monday evening. However, only Reds captain Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker attended the event in Paris where PSG’s Ousmane Dembele was awarded the coveted prize, reports the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AlexisAlexis Mac Allister has explained his absence from the Ballon d’Or ceremony(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah<\/a> and Mac Allister were all named in the top 30 but none of the trio made an appearance. While Salah’s absence was noticeable, having finished fourth, it was Mac Allister who revealed his reasons for not attending the ceremony.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old shared a statement on Instagram to clarify ahead of the ceremony. He penned: “Won’t be able to attend @ballondorofficial ceremony today for personal reasons, all the best for everyone, enjoy!” The 2022 World Cup champion and his partner, Ailen Cova, are expecting their first child together imminently.<\/p>\n

Rival’s “impossible” claim<\/p>\n

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has voiced his worry that Liverpool’s remarkable opening to the campaign could render it “impossible to catch them”.<\/p>\n

\"EnzoChelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has praised Liverpool(Image: Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC)<\/p>\n

The Reds are chasing consecutive league titles for the first time since the 1980s and boast a perfect record of five victories from five matches.<\/p>\n

Slot has also strengthened his attacking options with the signings of Wirtz and Alexander Isak during the summer window, leaving the Blues manager increasingly concerned for the remainder of the Premier League.<\/p>\n

“If they continue in this way I think it is impossible to catch them, not just for us, but for all the clubs,” he said. “They have been doing a fantastic job since last year, and the players they have decided to buy shows the intention of the club to go again for the Premier League and the Champions League, and that is quite clear.”<\/p>\n

Eddie Howe issues Isak concern<\/p>\n

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has admitted that his team are lacking the ‘X factor’ following Isak’s transfer to Liverpool on deadline day.<\/p>\n

\"AlexanderAlexander Isak cost Liverpool \u00a3125million(Image: Richard Sellers\/Sportsphoto\/Allstar via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Reds secured the Swedish striker for a record-breaking \u00a3125million, leaving Howe grappling with the loss, particularly as the Magpies have struggled to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season, scoring just three goals in five matches.<\/p>\n

“In an ideal world you have a full pre-season to iron out any issues you have,” said Howe. “You’re forming your partnerships and team relationships so they’re formed for the start of the season.<\/p>\n

“We’re in the position where we’re going to have to do it as we play. I have no issue with doing that, I’ve done it before. The biggest thing is the foundation is solid. The team is playing with strength, it’s just missing that X factor that I think will come.”<\/p>\n

For the latest news and breaking news, visit liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/liverpool-fc<\/a>. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.<\/p>\n

Follow us on Twitter<\/a> @\u200cLivEchoLFC<\/strong> – the official Liverpool ECHO LFC Twitter account – for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.<\/p>\n

We’re also on Facebook<\/a>\/LiverpoolEchoLFC – your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.<\/p>\n

Listen to our podcasts by searching for ‘Blood Red’ wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n

Sign up for one of the Liverpool Echo’s free daily and weekly newsletters on Liverpool FC<\/a> by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Liverpool have made a perfect start to the Premier League season and are top of the table after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[9261,1647,1121,748,393,4884,179,763,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-447545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-alexander-isak","9":"tag-alexis-mac-allister","10":"tag-arne-slot","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-liverpool","15":"tag-liverpool-fc","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115257516407862120","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447545","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=447545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}