How will Liverpool cope without Alexander Isak?

Arne Slot has faced challenge after challenge this season, from Liverpool‘s horrid run of nine defeats in 12 to Mohamed Salah’s explosive interview at Leeds.

How Slot deals without Alexander Isak is the next big question.

The Swede has hardly had a flying start to life at Anfield since making the £125m move from Newcastle in the summer, but the movement and finish for his goal against Tottenham on Saturday showed exactly why Liverpool signed him.

«You need to be at the top of the game to impact a game. And it took months before we could bring him up. We always knew it would take him time. And that’s why it’s so unlucky that he’s now injured,» said Slot.

«We all saw he was getting closer and closer to the player that he was last season at Newcastle.»

Slot said it is a «long injury» and Isak would be out for «a couple of months» and that is probably the best case scenario for Liverpool. It will, in all likelihood, be March by the time Isak can play football again.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will make a move for another attacker in January, with expensive solutions to short-term problems not part of the club model.

Hugo Ekitike is also thriving with eight league goals this season, with Slot saying the 23-year-old has «already adapted to the Premier League.»

Asked about the possibility of recalling Harvey Elliott – who hasn’t played since October – from Aston Villa, Slot said: «Harvey is an Aston Villa player and he is supposed to be going there for a year. If the question is about him then the best thing to ask is at Villa, who are doing quite well by the way.»

Isak has only made 10 starts for Liverpool since signing but with him now out of contention and Salah away on duty at the African Cup of Nations, Slot may be forced into a tactical restructure to deal with the Swede’s absence.

Slot has tweaked his system in recent weeks, resulting in a six-game unbeaten run.

Although Liverpool aren’t blowing teams out of the water, Slot’s changes introduced a level of control and defensive solidity whilst getting both Isak and Ekitike into the same eleven.

Slot’s has used a midfield diamond across the last three games, selecting extra midfielders in place of natural wingers.

Against Inter, Ekitike and Isak played in a front two with Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister forming a fluid diamond behind them.

In the last two league games, Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Szoboszlai, natural central midfielders, were the five starters behind striker Ekitike.

In possession, Jones or Gravenberch will often drop into the first line alongside Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, improving Liverpool’s build-up.

Szoboszlai and Wirtz as the starting wide players will often move centrally with the fullbacks pushing up to provide the width.

With both wingers, the number ten, and one (or both) of the defensive midfielders positioned in the centre of the pitch, Liverpool look like a very different side.

Liverpool’s fullbacks, who struggled with progressing play from deep, now find themselves higher up the pitch with more capable ball-playing midfielders taking up that responsibility.

The many bodies centrally ensure that if the ball is lost, opponents are less able to counter-attack down the middle, a weakness Liverpool struggled with at the start of this season.

Hard-working midfielders in wide areas also improve Liverpool’s defensive structure and pressing when compared to how an attacker like Salah might defend from the same position.

Although the system addresses many of Liverpool’s weaknesses from earlier this season, it isn’t perfect.

Liverpool often struggle to create clear chances despite having good possession.

With fullbacks holding the width instead of wingers, Liverpool lack one versus one quality out wide. Slot looked to tackle this by moving Wirtz back out wide in the second half against Spurs, with the German finding the underlapping Kerkez many times.

On the other side, Jeremie Frimpong’s cameo highlighted how he might be best used for Liverpool. His pace, dribbling and crossing provided an impressive wide threat for Liverpool as their wingers took up central positions.

With Isak out of the side, the onus is on Mac Allister or Wirtz to combine with, and run off of Ekitike centrally.

Both players lack the running power and finishing quality of Isak, so sourcing goals may be a concern for Liverpool. Federico Chiesa may be trialled alongside Ekitike, similar to the system Liverpool used against Inter.

Ultimately, Slot will likely persist with a team similar to what we have seen in recent games, hoping that, through control and possession, they can pick up form, likely through low-scoring wins.