It’s a game that will have those of a Liverpool persuasion longing for Jurgen Klopp again, as under-fire Manchester City arrive at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Andoni Iraola had the chance to crank up the temperature in Friday’s press conference, yet the Spaniard opted not to, merely pointing to the ongoing appeal process and the need to be “patient”.
Perhaps that’s the wise approach, but this is an emotional occasion and an emotional club. You do have to wonder what Klopp might have said to fuel the fire.
Alas, the atmosphere is set to be ferocious and fierce regardless, with this a fitting fixture to ‘welcome’ City back into Premier League action. The only question is, who will be leading the line for the Reds on Sunday?
Liverpool’s centre-forward conundrum ahead of Man City
Having endured a tricky return to St James’ Park on the opening weekend, Alexander Isak looked to have found his groove again thereafter, netting four goals already this season in the Premier League – more than he scored across 2025/26.
It was the Swede who proved decisive away against both Ipswich Town and Bournemouth, having gone into the international break in fine goalscoring fettle.
Frustratingly, that momentum has been halted by a thigh injury sustained on Sweden duty, the 27-year-old set to be absent this weekend, albeit while not expected to be a long-term concern.
It’s been something of a double whammy too, with his partner-in-crime, Cody Gakpo, also sidelined with an ankle injury, Iraola revealing that the pair “are not ready” to feature against Enzo Maresca’s men.
“Cody has an ankle injury. He has had some before in his career and it’s a matter of him dealing with the pain because when you twist your ankle… it was a really bad tackle, I think.
“He is doing things individually but [he is] not ready for Sunday. And Alex has a thigh injury. It’s a small injury but it’s a muscle injury. “
Gakpo would seemingly have been a potential option to replace Isak through the middle, with the Reds already light in that department amid Hugo Ekitike’s ongoing recovery from an ACL injury.
The obvious answer might have to be to unleash 21-year-old speedster, Lewis Koumas, instead, the infectious Wales star so ferocious when pressing from the front.
This is a key fixture and a key test for Iraola’s men, however, with it set to be a big decision to thrust Koumas into the fray. Might it be worth considering an alternative?
Why Liverpool’s new Isak could start ahead of Koumas
As he showed in the Carabao Cup clash with Spurs, Koumas is a relentless, all-action presence when leading the line, having run himself into the ground in that 86-minute outing.
And yet, the only question mark is as to whether he really has that cutting edge in front of goal, this a player who scored just four Championship goals last season out on loan.
Isak has his critics due to his failure to really dominate a game, yet as he’s shown in recent weeks, he can be so deadly in the penalty box, as he showed after netting 20-plus goals in each of his final two seasons at Newcastle United.
Options in terms of replacing him are slim, yet perhaps Iraola could look to Liverpool’s latest big-money signing, in the form of £123m man, Bradley Barcola.
Like Isak a year ago, the Frenchman was somewhat of a belated arrival at Anfield following a protracted summer saga, with the delay to the deal having ensured it’s been a slow start to life in a Liverpool shirt.
Isak – 25/26 vs 26/27 | ||
|---|---|---|
25/26 | Stat (*per game) | 26/27 |
14 | Games | 5 |
3 | Goals | 4 |
238 | Mins per goal | 104 |
5 | Big chances missed | 3 |
1 | Assists | 0 |
1 | Big chances created | 0 |
0.1 | Key passes* | 0.6 |
63% | Pass accuracy* | 82% |
0.07 | Succ. dribbles* | 0.8 |
1.2 | Total duels won* | 2.6 |
There wasn’t the chaos of Isak’s forced exit from Newcastle, but Barcola’s mega-money deal was another that appeared to drag on and on, ensuring he was unable to enjoy pre-season with his new teammates.
In Isak’s case, he never quite got up to speed last term before suffering a leg break against Spurs, with Liverpool needing to avoid a similar fate with regard to Barcola this time around.
Perhaps making the Frenchman the figurehead of the attack on Sunday might help to spark him into life, ensuring the 24-year-old can purely focus on his attacking instincts rather than being required to chip in defensively down the flanks.
He’s no stranger to playing in a fluid forward line, having been part of a strikerless system under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, the Ligue 1 giants often utilising Ousmane Dembele in a false nine role.
Barcola was typically deployed off the left or off the right, although in seven games as the centre-forward for PSG, he did score three goals, ensuring this wouldn’t be an entirely left-field tactical tweak.
Like Isak last summer, Barcola is the marquee signing this time around, the player whom expectation will be greatest for.
What better way to really get his Liverpool career going than by doing a number on Maresca and Man City.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
