The Big Reason Hugo Ekitike Has To Start Every Game

Can Liverpool allow Alexander Isak time to regain full fitness while results have hit the floor? Nope, and here's why.

“Isak today? Barely a sniff; two touches in the box, one shot and one chance created. Forget how much the Swede cost, Hugo Ekitike must start at centre forward more often for now.”

The Match, The Stat: Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest

The above assessment of the weekend performance by the most expensive player in English football history was a little harsh. Rewatching the first half, there were moments when Alexander Isak was trying to make things happen.

He wasn’t stationary, hanging around the centre of the penalty box waiting for the ball. Isak pulled out to both flanks, attempting to dribble into the box on the left at one point. The nature of his role also means he is reliant upon his teammates for service to some extent.

The former Newcastle man received a total of just nine passes during his 67 minutes of action. Aside from Mohamed Salah (three) and Ryan Gravenberch (two), no other colleague found him more than once. Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister - the advanced midfielders in Arne Slot’s 4-3-3 formation - didn’t successfully pass to Isak at all.

The two times he received the ball in the Nottingham Forest box, Salah was the passer. This included for Isak’s only shot, if it can really be called that; he did not make decent contact on an effort that was heading well wide before a defender collected the ball.

The Swede is clearly not fully fit. For once, seeing a Liverpool player getting more pitch time during an international break would’ve been welcome. Slot needs to play Isak so he can improve his fitness and form better relationships with his teammates. It’s the only way to get him up to speed.

But can the head coach afford to do that when the 26-year-old is largely peripheral, the most successful summer signing is left on the bench so Isak can start and Slot’s job is at risk? It’s increasingly difficult to make that case when there is a big reason why Hugo Ekitike should be in the starting XI.