Liverpool manager Arne Slot has again stressed that Alexander Isak’s long-term fitness matters more than rushing him onto the pitch. The coach spoke openly about his daily discussions with the performance staff, saying he is focused on getting the striker to a real 100 per cent in a post shared by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account.
As reported by SoftFootball, a groin problem from the 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt kept him out for a short spell, but he is now training again. The manager pointed out that managing a player with a big fee is never simple.
Fabrizio Romano posted:
Arne Slot: I had a conversation with the performance staff about what is the best way for Isak to get him as fast as we can to 100%. I always have to find the balance between what is the best for him as an individual and for us as a team.
I want Isak to be 100% fit, that is the challenge with him. I can see in training sessions, if he is fully rested, then you can see his quality.
Isak joined late in the summer window after a difficult period at Newcastle, and he did not get any proper pre-season rhythm. Slot said he noticed the lack of sharpness straight away, noting that Isak had only one sprint above 30 km/h in four months. That is quite low for a forward expected to stretch games.
SoftFootball had earlier covered how Liverpool’s intensity sometimes drops in big fixtures, as seen in their 3-0 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad, and Slot believes getting Isak fully fit will help fix that problem with time.
To help the striker catch up, Slot even used unusual training moments. In the League Cup match against Southampton, he had Isak do sprint work at half-time despite only playing 45 minutes.
He explained that the goal is to slowly build a bigger tank for him, something he says cannot be rushed because the player missed structured team routines for a while. He also compared it to the slow adjustment that Alexis Mac Allister once had.
There is also a selection headache. Hugo Ekitike looks sharper at the moment, but Slot admitted he might still choose Isak in some games so he can grow into the season. He reminded fans that a fully fit Isak is a huge advantage for Liverpool and that patience is needed. Even Sweden barely used him in the November break, which did not help his rhythm.
With a tight match schedule coming, Slot believes Isak will get back to the level he hit at Newcastle if handled the right way. SoftFootball also highlighted how demanding Liverpool’s home form can be in the Nottingham Forest fixture, and Slot hopes Isak will soon be part of that pressure.
If Liverpool stay patient, Slot is confident the striker will become the player everyone expected.
