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Arne Slot has been urged to experiment by lining Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak up alongside each other when the domestic season resumes.
The Reds go into Sunday's meeting with Manchester United off the back of three successive defeats, to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea. It is the first time since the spring of 2023 that Liverpool has lost three games in a row, and Arne Slot will be keen for his team to bounce back at Anfield in one of the biggest fixtures in world soccer on Sunday.
The team has lacked the fluidity it showed for much of last season as it cantered to the title, and that is perhaps to be expected considering the overhaul that took place over the summer.
Ekitike and Isak were two of Liverpool's costliest additions during the transfer window, but it is Swedish striker Isak who more is expected of us, considering his English-record transfer fee and how well he did for former club Newcastle.
However, Ekitike has had the better start to the season, scoring five times for his new club, and while former Red Emile Heskey favors Isak over the Frenchman, he is keen to see how well they would do when starting together on the same team.
"I’d probably say Isak [if I had to choose between them]," Heskey told Pundit Arena. "I probably say him only because I’ve seen him do it before.
"And don’t get me wrong, I think Ekitike has done fantastic and he’s got so much to give. I’d be interested to see if it could be done with two of them up front or one of them on the left drifting in, with Kerkez coming over and overlapping a little bit more.
"So you’re kind of playing with two tens in there with your left-back going very high, then you probably have to sit with two sitters. There’s so much you can do with the players that they’ve got.
"For me, if you’re talking about out and out strikers, I’d rather have Isak starting than Ekitike at this moment in time. It’s difficult isn’t it, because I would love to see 4-4-2 come back, but I can’t see it.
"A lot actually defend in 4-4-2 but not attack in that formation. Teams get overloaded in midfield."
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