Alexander Isak scored a sharp second-half goal for Sweden on Monday night, but it came in a 3-1 friendly defeat by Norway in Oslo. The 26-year-old collected possession just inside the Norway half, drove into the penalty area and lifted his finish into the top corner.
It was the kind of strike that reminded everyone why Liverpool paid £125m for him last September. It also arrived after a first season that never caught fire. Isak made 22 appearances, started 13 times and scored four league goals as Liverpool finished fifth, 25 points behind champions Arsenal.
He made his own view clear after the game, posting on Instagram: “Looking forward to a much better next season,” and there is no hiding the scale of the reset he needs. A protracted transfer from Newcastle United, completed only after he went on strike to force through a British record move, was supposed to help Liverpool chase major trophies. Instead, he missed four months of the campaign and never settled into the rhythm the club had hoped for.
That absence mattered because Liverpool had been widely considered favourites for another title after a bumper summer window, yet the season unravelled into a fifth-place finish and an underwhelming trophy defence. Isak’s four-goal return was his worst goalscoring season since 2017-18 at Borussia Dortmund, which underlines how badly the injuries interrupted his momentum. For a forward signed to lift a team’s ceiling, the first answer was a long spell on the sidelines.
There is still a route back, and his goal in Oslo offered a glimpse of it. Liverpool have already begun formal talks with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, a sign the club is trying to reset around a campaign that exposed as much about its planning as it did about Isak’s fitness. The next question is whether a full preseason and a cleaner run of games can turn one bruising year into a springboard rather than a warning.
