Liverpool head coach Arne Slott painted his natural tight lips when asked if Alexander Isaac would face Everton on Saturday.
Isaac made Atletico Madrid and Liverpool debuts in the Champions League on Tuesday after joining for £135 million on the deadline day from Newcastle United.
He wasn’t involved with Burnley last Sunday, but he should at least be on the team in the Merseyside Derby this weekend.
The first question slot fielded at a pre-game press conference on Friday was about ISAK, his fitness and could have begun against Everton.
“I don’t think I’ll talk to the media a lot the day before a game,” Slot said. “I recovered yesterday and I’m going to train this afternoon.
“First of all, we have to see how they feel. Alex was probably feeling his body more than ever before after 60 minutes he played, so let’s see how he recovered today.
Mailbox: Liverpool fans are already excited about the “Isak winner, 90+6” in the Derby
Isak was signed to the UK record fee a month after Liverpool bought the Hugo Ekitike for the first £69 million, prompting immediate uncertainty about the French striker’s role in Slot’s team.
Ekitike can play with either wing, but Isak is off-center with technical capabilities that are widely drifting, and slots were asked if both could play together as Front 2.
He replied: “I have a lot of thoughts, but it always depends on how well they are doing.
“If both are the best shape of their lives, you’re thinking more about playing them together, but it’s clear that we have a certain structure of 4-3-3, but there’s also a lot of stuff happening in the final phase where we ended the game with two nines.
“Hugo can play from the left, unlike the way Cody (Gakpo) and Rio (ngumoha) do this. That’s a good thing for our team.
“We have multiple options, but first we need to be appropriate to have these options. If all of them aren’t right, we need to use both on 4-4-2, but that all depends on their shape and the number of players we have available.”
Liverpool details for F365
Liverpool warned that completing Guehi in January for two reasons would require a “bigger offer” of over £35 million
Why Liverpool “win half of the match” before chark kickoff and “lucky” debate is nonsense
👉Big Weekend: Arsenal v Man City, Liverpool, Olly Watkins, Reuben Amorim
Playing Ekichike with Isaac in Front 2 will likely change Mohamed Sara’s role in the team to a disadvantage.
Regarding the Egyptian superstar, the Liverpool boss said: “When you’re a great player, if you don’t play well, it’s due to the team. Many players can aim and support when they play well, but many of them can’t attribute something when they don’t play well.
“This is something that stands out in MO. It’s very difficult to be a player who’s always been creative or always against Atletico Madrid, but if he’s not normal, he still has goals and support.
“A lot of players can play well when a team plays well, but they can’t do anything special when they’re not at their best, that’s what he can do, and that’s what makes him so special.
“I prefer to meet him because he was very involved and very positive. We played so much ball with him and he was very involved.
Several Liverpool players are preparing for their first Merseyside derby, including Isaac, Ekichike, Florian Wiltz, Jeremy Fripon and Milos Kerkez.
Asked how the Derby debutant prepares for a conflict, Slot said these players are used to competing in old clubs and should deal with it.
“It’s not the first time these players have played this game. For new players, this is not the first time they’ve played it in situations where the game has many rivals and strength,” Slot said.
“The focus should be on rivalry, but it should also be on what is necessary to win the game.
“They have a lot of good players, so that’s going to be a tough game, and I don’t know exactly what they’re trying to do.
“Last season, when we faced them with a lot of long balls, or like this season, I have seen them do well off the back.
“Virgil (Vandic), MO (Sarah), and these kinds of players tell new players what they can expect, but we’re not talking about rookies.
Read more: Famous F365 Friday Quiz: Iconic Goals and Their Assistance…
