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One hundred and fifteen days after his last senior start for club or country, Alexander Isak was sharper than anyone could have reasonably expected when he made his Liverpool debut on Tuesday.
Though he didn't score or assist against Atletico Madrid, and it took a late winner from Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool to secure the points on matchday one in the Champions League, Isak impressed. And he even lasted around 58 minutes, working tirelessly to prove that he was up to speed.
"I was positively surprised by how fit Alexander was during the 60 minutes," Arne Slot told TNT Sports. "Although he only trained for two weeks, he has so many games under his belt in this league. And I wasn’t surprised about his quality, as we all know that."
On paper, the stats didn't make for particularly exciting reading. Isak only had 25 touches (the fewest of the starting Liverpool front four) and he wasn't able to get many sights of Jan Oblak's goal.
But Isak passed the eye test, working relentlessly to press and harry the Atletico Madrid defense. He also linked up nicely with his teammates, showing the first signs of a relationship with Florian Wirtz.
Signed for a combined sum that could reach $327 million (£241 million) including add-ons, Isak and Wirtz connecting telepathically is a salivating prospect — and a central part of how Liverpool will one day move beyond Mohamed Salah.
For now, of course, the Reds can enjoy all three players — plus Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike — as their new-look forward line takes shape. Salah, as he showed particularly in the first half, still has plenty to offer.
We already knew that Isak likes to drift out to the left, and that dovetailed nicely with Gakpo's tendency to cut inside at every opportunity. Wirtz, meanwhile, has the freedom to float.
In one move a couple of minutes before half-time, Wirtz skipped past Pablo Barrios and played a one-two with Isak. Only a Jeremie Frimpong air kick stopped a delightful, sweeping move resulting in a goal.
With so many big names to fit in — and Ekitike was left on the bench here — there was perhaps a question mark over how each part would slot together. But Galacticos this front four are not.
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Isak and Wirtz pressed very well, with Dominik Szoboszlai usually right behind them. Gakpo and even Salah are no slouches on that front either.
Van Dijk said that he told Isak he must contribute with running and link-up play as well as goals, and the Swede showed no lack of willingness to do just that, even if he couldn't last more than an hour.
"I think that was very good from him," Van Dijk said. "It's just a start. He has to recover and be ready for Saturday, whether he starts or not he will have to be there and ready to help us as well."
In Isak and Wirtz, Liverpool has a potential duo for the ages. While primarily that will involve scoring and creating, it was the other side of the game that was most evident on its debut. In time, the potential in and out of possession is sky high.
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