Liverpool faced West Ham United in a Premier League meeting on Sunday, November 30.
Arne Slot’s future was a key issue going into the fixture after the Reds matched an unwanted record for the most defeats (nine in 12) since 1953/54.
Liverpool were backing Slot prior to kick-off, but another defeat on Sunday would surely cause FSG to start really considering their options.
In an attempt to avoid a third hammering in the space of just over a week, the Dutchman made some big calls against the Hammers.
Mohamed Salah was dropped, Florian Wirtz returned to the eleven, Joe Gomez started at right-back, and Alexander Isak was given the nod over Hugo Ekitike after his midweek injury.
Is this Florian Wirtz’s best position for Liverpool?
Liverpool fans express Alexander Isak concern vs West Ham
Liverpool managed to avoid a repeat of their midweek clash and keep West Ham out during the opening exchanges.
But their attacking threat, at least through the middle, remained questionable, with fans taking to social media to point out how off his game Isak was.
One fan wrote: “Isak just looks completely incapable of competing physically.
A second echoed: “Isak looks miles off the pace. No sharpness at all. Touch is off. He should be well fit by now.”
“Yes, but Isak is way off it, unfortunately,” tweeted another.
A fourth claimed: “Poor positioning and movement from Isak. He really needs a goal to get his confidence back up.”
“Isak really looks off it still? What went wrong with him, he really was immense before – hopefully he finds some footing because otherwise he’s in trouble,” added another.
A sixth fan wrote: “Isak way off it in confidence, gotta bust his gut to near post there.”
“Recovering or otherwise, Isak, you’ve got to be pressing, big dog,” stated a seventh, with an eighth writing: “Isak so far off it.”
What Arne Slot has said about Alexander Isak
Because of his summer transfer saga, the Swede had no real pre-season before moving to Anfield.
Isak has since had injury and fitness issues at Liverpool, seeing Ekitike often leading the line in his stead.
While some fans think the former Newcastle United man is still lacking match sharpness/confidence, it seems likely he will be starting a lot more games going forward.
Slot has already explained the striker needs to play in order to build fitness, saying: “I do know that a 100 percent fit Alexander Isak is a big, big, big plus for this team. But for him to get there, he might need to have minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness.
“This morning, I had a conversation with the performance staff: ‘What is the best way for him – not for Liverpool – to get him as fast as we can to that 100%?’.
“I always have to find the balance between what is the best for him as an individual and for us as a team.”
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