Alexander Isak’s return to form is emerging as a defining factor in Liverpool’s revival under Andoni Iraola, with the £125 million signing finally beginning to resemble the prolific striker the club believed it had bought.
Isak’s composed finish in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Brighton was his third goal in as many Premier League matches. It was the first time since January 2025, when he scored in eight consecutive games for Newcastle, that the Sweden international had found the net in three successive league appearances.
The goal also offered an encouraging glimpse of Liverpool’s attacking blueprint. Bradley Barcola, operating from the right of the front three, broke into space before finding Isak in the area where he is most dangerous: close to goal and between the posts.
The understanding between the two expensive summer recruits was central to the move. Liverpool signed Isak for a British-record fee and also invested heavily in Florian Wirtz as part of a plan to reshape the attack following the previous season’s title success.
That strategy, developed by Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, favoured a small number of high-profile technical additions rather than spreading the money across a larger squad. Edwards left in July, while Hughes completed the Barcola deal before his own departure from Anfield.
The early signs suggest their vision for a post-Mohamed Salah attack may now be taking shape, with Isak at its centre.
Alexander Isak’s numbers point to a Liverpool revival
Isak’s form has been reflected in more than just the eye-catching finishes. He has scored six goals in seven league appearances this season, leaving him one behind Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring standings.
The 27-year-old has also scored in every Liverpool league victory so far. Only Victor Munoz among his team-mates has more than one top-flight goal, underlining how heavily the side has relied on Isak for attacking production.
He is averaging 3.15 shots per league match, compared with 2.18 last season, while his expected-goals figure per 90 minutes has doubled from 0.33 to 0.67. His rate of 0.95 goals per 90 minutes is second only to Haaland.
Isak’s 24.6 touches per game is also lower than that of any other leading top-flight striker apart from Haaland, who averages 24.1. Both forwards are relatively sparing in possession but highly effective when chances arrive.
The figures are beginning to track the best scoring season of Isak’s time in England, when he scored 27 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions during his final campaign at St James’ Park.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the striker’s contribution is particularly important because of the limited goalscoring support around him.
“He is massively important because Liverpool are not a great goalscoring team right now,” Carragher said. “Besides him, who else is going to score the goals? Victor Munoz has got a couple, but Isak has made a great start, in complete contrast to last season, when he was injured.”
Carragher added: “We’ve still not probably seen the full version of Isak that we saw at Newcastle, but I think that will come with more games, repetition of training sessions with Iraola and maybe we’ll see the best of him in the second half of the season.”
Fitness remains central to Isak’s progress
Iraola has consistently stressed that Isak’s value cannot be measured solely by the number of goals he scores. The Liverpool head coach wants the forward to lead the press and contribute when the team is out of possession.
“He’s a massive player for us,” Iraola said in September. “Probably my demands will not be about the goals, I know that [if] he’s fit, he’s in good shape, he’s going to produce the numbers.”
“My fights with him are more about other stuff, about how to help the team in all the situations.”
Iraola repeated that message before Liverpool’s meeting with Arsenal, saying the striker had the confidence of those around him but still needed to help create the opportunities he was expected to finish.
“I think Alex feels the trust of everyone,” Iraola said. “Everyone trusts if he moves into good positions he will score goals.”
“But I always tell him he has to help us so we can give you the chances, and I think he understands that necessity. I hope that can continue at the same level.”
Managing Isak’s workload will be crucial. He has had an indifferent injury record since joining Liverpool, while fellow striker Hugo Ekitike is recovering from a long-term Achilles injury and is not expected back until next year.
Iraola has regularly replaced Isak with Lewis Koumas late in matches, a precaution made more significant after the Swede missed Liverpool’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City with a thigh problem sustained while on international duty.
Injuries disrupted Isak’s first season at Anfield from the outset. He arrived after missing the whole of pre-season while attempting to force through his move from Newcastle, then spent four matches out with abductor pain in October and November.
A fractured left leg suffered in a challenge at Tottenham kept him out for 106 days. When he returned in May, further abductor problems and muscle strains sidelined him for almost three weeks, limiting him to three league goals in his debut campaign.
The combination of trying to regain fitness, adapting to a new club and carrying the pressure of a record fee proved difficult, particularly as Liverpool’s form deteriorated. Now, with Isak fit and the team showing signs of recovery under Iraola, the forward has the opportunity to establish a fresh beginning at Anfield.
Liverpool’s meeting with Arsenal offers another test of that progress. For Isak, it is a chance to demonstrate why keeping him fit and firing could be decisive to the club’s revival.
