Liverpool manager Arne Slot found himself facing an unexpected setback on a night that should have been purely celebratory.
His team finally snapped their four-game losing streak with a commanding 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, yet the joy was dampened by another worrying injury to record signing Alexander Isak.
The Swedish striker, who had just begun to show flashes of his true potential, was forced off at halftime with a groin problem, leaving serious concerns about his availability in the coming weeks.
Isak’s first season at Liverpool has been full of complications. Brought in from Newcastle United for a staggering £125 million, the forward’s move was already surrounded by tension after he pushed for the transfer and missed pre-season training.
Despite his undeniable quality, the lack of preparation has made it difficult for him to build fitness or rhythm in Slot’s demanding system. The latest setback only adds to the frustration for both player and club.
Slot’s tone after the game marked a notable shift from his earlier optimism about Isak’s progress. Just last week, he had confidently stated that the striker was finally ready to be properly assessed after missing so much of the summer.
But following Tuesday’s match, he sounded far more cautious, emphasizing the “difficult balance” of managing Isak’s workload.
“Let’s hope it’s not that bad,” Slot said after the final whistle. “He had to go off because he felt something in his groin. Many people wanted me to play him more, but we’ve been trying to find the right balance, and unfortunately, today that balance didn’t work out perfectly. We’ll have to wait and see how serious it is.”
The Liverpool boss was quick to defend his handling of the player, explaining that Isak’s limited training before joining made it risky to play him too often.
“When he came to the club, he had hardly trained. We were building him up gradually, step by step, but at some point, you have to let him play regularly. He managed it with Sweden as well, but every time he’s asked to play twice a week, something seems to happen.”
Slot admitted that the intensity of Liverpool’s schedule makes things more complicated. “Normally, you prepare a player for one match a week, but if you’re Liverpool, you play every three days.
This week, we’ve had to play three times in seven days. We tried to prepare him carefully. He looked perfectly fit after coming back from international duty, but the margins are very small at this level. Hopefully, it’s nothing major because if he’s out for a few weeks, it’ll set him back again.”
Isak wasn’t able to add to his single goal for the club before leaving the pitch, but his strike partner Hugo Ekitike stepped up in his absence. Returning to face his former club, Ekitike scored the equaliser that sparked Liverpool’s comeback after falling behind early.
The Reds then took control before halftime with two powerful headers from Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. In the second half, summer signing Florian Wirtz began to shine, assisting both Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai to complete a dominant performance.
Despite the victory, the mood was mixed. For Slot, the win was crucial in restoring momentum, but the sight of Isak limping off brought back familiar worries about his star striker’s durability.
The coming days will determine how serious the injury is, but with a demanding fixture list ahead, Liverpool will be desperately hoping that their record signing can recover quickly.
Slot knows that if his team wants to keep competing on multiple fronts, he cannot afford another lengthy absence for his number nine.
