Albeit for Sweden, Alexander Isak is back in action.

The rangy centre-foward – who last played for his club employers, Liverpool, in mid-October against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League – replaced Mattias Svanberg just after the hour mark in their 4-1 defeat to Switzerland.

Fans have not been afraid to hold back in their assessment of the striker.

Liverpool winning the 2024/25 Premier League title at a relative canter, having won it with four games to spare, came as somewhat of a surprise given it was Arne Slot’s first season in charge.

Spending north of £400 million on summer additions, too, raised eyebrows given Jurgen Klopp operated with more poise and care in the market.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Only six players in Premier League history managed to register 50 goals in fewer games than Alexander Isak managed to do it in – 76.

Isak arrived in a record-breaking Deadline Day move, switching from Newcastle United to Liverpool in a deal worth a cool £125 million, but is yet to find his groove in Anfield colours. Incredibly, he’s scored just once – in the League Cup against Southampton – since joining and there are ever-growing concerns about whether he’ll come good.

Given how rampant he was throughout his spell at St James’ Park, there is every chance that Isak – widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football – will find his goalscoring rhythm soon and, once again, become a serial goal-getter. But it’s been a tough autumn for the 1999-born ace, not least because he’s rarely scored.

Alexander Isak – Career Statistics

Club

Games

Goals

Assists

Real Sociedad

132

44

8

Newcastle United

109

62

11

AIK

29

13

1

Willem II Tilburg

18

14

7

Borussia Dortmund

13

1

1

Liverpool

8

1

1

Isak’s 27-Minute Cameo for in Switzerland 4-1 Sweden Sparks Reaction From Fans



The reason why Isak – who first caught the eye of football fanatics during his spell in Germany with Borussia Dortmund between 2017 and 2019 – because he’s rarely been involved after suffering an injury against Frankfurt at Europe’s top table: since, he’s missed his side’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid, their 3-2 loss to Brentford and their 2-0 victory against Aston Villa.

Some hoped he would be a ready-made goalscorer given his exploits in the northeast, but he returned to the bench for Liverpool’s encounter against Manchester City. Though many believed it spelled trouble as the Swede didn’t get a sniff at the action and instead remained behind Dutchman Slot, who green-lit his big-money move in the summer.

He is, however, back on the grass. Sweden – now managed by Graham Potter – have won zero of their five 2026 World Cup qualification matches and their latest 4-1 defeat to Switzerland just encapsulates where they are as a nation currently. And that’s despite having Isak and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres to rely on at the sharp end of the pitch.



With Gyokeres unavailable, Isak was called upon when Potter modified his plan in the 63rd minute – but his cameo left a lot to be desired. Statistically, he took 13 touches – only one of which was inside the opposition box – and he enjoyed zero shots, one pass into the final third and one chance created. He did, however, win all four of his duels.

“Alexander Isak could be the biggest flop in Swedish football history! And you could see it coming already when Aidoo stuffed him in his pocket and had him like a Tamagotchi for 90 minutes,” one fan took to X (formerly Twitter) as the whistle blew at Stade de Geneve.

“Alexander Isak came on and has ruined 2 great chances for Sweden. Brilliant.”

“I have such an unfathomably hard time taking in that Liverpool almost shelled out 1.65 billion SEK for Alexander Isak. Football is so broken,” another said, before a third claimed that Isak is struggling to get back into his groove. “Kim chose to focus on a “star coach” who picks Alexander Isak who has forgotten how to play football.”

“Can you be more overrated than Alexander Isak?” another wrote before highlighting his poor record for Sweden. “0 goals in over 1 year with the national team. Shows up unprepared for the most important matches. Brilliant, what a 100-grander for the national team.”

“Alexander Isak isn’t ice-cold, he’s deep-frozen,” one added as another wrote that Sweden’s chance creation flew off a clip once he was substituted on: “Sweden has been unable to create a single chance since a certain #9 (Alexander Isak) came on. Surprise surprise!”

Isak Speaks Out After Heavy Defeat



Isak, a 56-cap Sweden international, also spoke about his return to Sportbladet. He said: “I always want to play my game and perform. It hasn’t been optimal. But when I’m on the field, I don’t give myself any excuses. I always want to play my game and perform. But yes, it’s hard to be away and not be able to help and contribute. Now I’m back and I’m positive.” He then emphasised that it’s not always easy to remain in high spirits.

“You learn to deal with it. There is not much that is easy in football. But with experience you learn to handle things. That’s how it is with injuries and everything like that. You learn to handle it and get back in the right way.”

With Sweden’s chances of reaching next summer’s international showpiece looking bleak, Isak returns to Merseyside with the fixtures continuing to come thick and fast for the reigning champions of the Premier League. First, Nottingham Forest visit Anfield on November 22 before PSV Eindhoven do the same four days later.