When Liverpool travel to Newcastle this Sunday, the spotlight will inevitably fall on Alexander Isak, making his first return to St James' Park since his acrimonious £125m move away from the club last summer.
The Swedish striker's protracted transfer saga overshadowed last season's corresponding fixture too, when Isak was absent from Tyneside altogether, instead meeting with Newcastle's hierarchy to inform them of his desire to leave. That August night ended dramatically, with 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scoring a stoppage-time winner for Liverpool in the 100th minute, while Hugo Ekitike and Will Osula both found the net in what proved a thrilling contest.
Isak's first campaign at Anfield never matched the hype surrounding his transfer. Persistent injuries restricted him to just 22 appearances, and he managed only four goals in all competitions, three of them in the Premier League. Newcastle, meanwhile, reinvested the record fee on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. The fallout appears to have cost both former managers their positions, with Eddie Howe and Arne Slot both since departing their respective clubs, replaced by Andoni Iraola at Liverpool and Matthias Jaissle at Newcastle.
For Iraola, now tasked with unlocking Isak's potential, the approach has been to avoid dwelling on last season's difficulties. "You have to be open-minded when you come to a new place and don't be too affected by the things they tell you about what happened before," the Spanish coach explained. "You have to try to understand the picture but I think everyone is willing to improve. I haven't spent too much time thinking: 'Ok, this didn't work last season'. I have seen the games and I have my ideas but I prefer to start with a clean slate rather than try to solve the things that didn't work last season."
Slot had previously pointed to Isak's lack of a proper pre-season as a factor behind his struggles, though the striker's absence during that period was largely down to his own transfer demands. This time around, Isak has enjoyed a full pre-season under his new manager and has already found the net against Monaco in a warm-up fixture.
Iraola is wary of placing too much emphasis on goal tallies alone, though Isak's record at Newcastle—21 and 23 Premier League goals in his final two seasons on Tyneside—speaks for itself. The priority, according to the Liverpool boss, is simply keeping his striker fit and available.
"I think it is a massive season for Alexander," Iraola said. "He knows it is [about] two things: the first is availability, and without availability we cannot have the second thing which is the performance level. But I think this has to be the first aim for us, to keep him in a good place in terms of being available. I'm sure if we manage to do this he will perform well because he has been very good during pre-season. If we can keep him at a good level he will score his goals and he will be a threat. I have no doubts about his level."
Iraola's track record with forwards offers some encouragement. At Bournemouth, Dominic Solanke enjoyed a career-best 19-goal Premier League season under his guidance, while youngster Eli Junior Kroupi contributed 13 goals last term. The manager believes Isak's varied skill set—capable of both dropping deep to link play and running in behind defences—fits his tactical approach perfectly.
"I think he's quite a unique No 9 in terms of he can come to receive and be technically very clean, and he can also be very good attacking the space," Iraola noted. "Sometimes you get one thing or the other... but he can do both. Also, my biggest fight [in pre-season] has been about our press, how to position, how to help the players that he has behind, and I think he is willing to do it and to understand. He is improving with every friendly we've played."
With Ekitike currently sidelined through injury, Liverpool have little alternative but to lean heavily on Isak up front. Sunday's clash offers the forward a chance to silence doubters on both sides of the divide—reminding Newcastle what they gave up, and showing Liverpool why they paid such a substantial fee in the first place.
Based on reporting from The Independent.