Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, A Perfect Match

Liverpool's record signing made his debut in the 3-2 win over Atlético Madrid. Alexander Isak only had 25 touches but they told us a lot.

Watching a match in full when you have missed it live but know the score is a fascinating experience. There’s no adrenalin, dread, fear, excitement. You’re free to take it all in without being beholden to the rollercoaster of the full experience.

I was in this position with Liverpool’s Champions League win over Atlético Madrid. If not as much fun as seeing another late winner in the moment, it was good to skip past VAR checks for penalties that were clearly not penalties.

With no edge and no statistics to post, I could view the match in anyway I saw fit. There was one major point of interest: the debut of Alexander Isak. I only had eyes for one man.

The Reds’ record signing played 58 minutes, in which he had 25 touches. If it doesn’t sound many, it’s fine for a centre-forward. Erling Haaland averages a shade under 23 every 90 minutes for Manchester City. Hugo Ekitike got just 14 in 78 minutes against Arsenal (though the ball was probably in play for about a third of that).

Assessing Liverpool this season has been hard, thanks to the different context surrounding their matches. Emotion, opposition fan anger, cautious set piece merchants and the lowest of low blocks have all presented challenges. Passing judgment on Isak’s performance against Atléti is affected by the Reds going 2-0 up before he’d touched the ball.

In one sense it helped as it forced the visitors to open up more than they’d like. But with Liverpool having less impetus to attack, Isak’s involvement may have been inhibited in that regard.

Reading too much into a 25-touch hour is a foolish either way. You could see the rust falling away as the game progressed, though. It was also clear that Isak will form an excellent relationship with Florian Wirtz. What little context we have for the German’s Liverpool career proves the point.