‘A threat’ - Arne Slot name-checks £150m goal machine before Liverpool vs Newcastle United
Arne Slot has warned Liverpool about Alexander Isak’s attacking prowess ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to Anfield.
An impressive 21 goals across all competitions has propelled the Swede into the elite bracket of Premier League strikers. Isak bagged a brace against Nottingham Forest on Sunday to take his top-flight tally to 50 since arriving from Real Sociedad in August 2022.
Ironically, the 25-year-old’s first impression in English football came on Merseyside with an eye-catching debut goal against Liverpool. Another strike dubiously ruled out for offside later in the game still leaves a bitter taste in Toon circles.
Newcastle travel to Anfield later today looking for their first away win over Liverpool since April 1994. A game many are viewing as a tune-up to next month’s Carabao Cup final, both managers have stressed the importance of parking Wembley talk.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Reds boss Slot singled out Isak - who scored a stunning goal in December’s reverse fixture - as the danger man. He told reporters at his pre-match press conference: “It is an understatement to say Isak is in fine form. I think he is in excellent form. The team's performance will help us control him.
“The more ball possession we have the more, the easier it is to control him, although he is definitely a threat on counter-attacks. The good thing for us is that we have two very good centre-backs, who are probably one of the best players to play against him. That is definitely what you need when you face a striker with the quality of Isak.
“But it is not only about him. I like the style of play Eddie Howe has introduced. They are always a team who have a very good game plan, they are really intense with or without the ball, (and have a) really high, intense tempo in the game that helps the No.9 as well because, the better your teammates are, the more chances you get.”
Slot also discussed Newcastle’s defensive capabilities - referencing the sturdy performances to keep Arsenal quiet twice in the Carabao Cup semi-final. The Dutchman added: “They can score goals. They have so much offensive threat and, normally, they're not a team that concedes so many goals because they are very aggressive in defending as well.
“I saw that in the (Carabao Cup) semi-final they played against Arsenal. Now we all know how well Arsenal is in there when it comes to attacking - also defending.
“But they just kept them away from their goal by defending really strong, maybe a bit similar to what we did (against) City. So defending with 10 or 11 players. They can score goals, but they are also able to defend really strong and that's what makes them such a difficult team to play against.”