After arriving at Liverpool at the close of the summer transfer window without a pre-season due to his standoff with Newcastle, there were some concerns about Alexander Isak immediately heading off to join
the Swedish national team. Fears that he could get shoved straight into competitive football, leading to injury.
In the end those concerns turned out not to be necessary, with national team manager Jon Dahl Tomasson quick to acknowledge Isak’s lack of match fitness and treating him like a player just starting pre-season by giving him limited minutes. A month later, Tomasson says it’s still not 100% certain Isak is ready for big minutes.
“He hasn’t played 90 minutes yet, but one thing I know is that he looks better than a month ago,” Tomasson noted. “We’re getting closer, as you need six weeks in a pre-season. First you play 45 minutes, then 60 minutes, 75 minutes, and 90 minutes. Then you need another three weeks to be at your best. That’s normal.
“Normally, you need a six-week pre-season and then another three weeks to really be at your best. He has his own pre-season and is playing competitive games. It’s a tough way to get fit, but they’ve handled it well. He is doing his pre-season with competitive matches and I think he and Liverpool have handled it very well.”
While hardly ideal for Liverpool or Sweden, a lack of a pre-season for Isak is the reality, and with an eye to the longer term and future it’s comforting at least that the Reds’ record transfer signing appears to have a national team manager who’s cognizant of the need to manage and coordinate that with his club team.
In fact, Tomasson pointed to the handling of Isak’s replacement at Newcastle, Yoane Wissa, who missed out on a pre-season at Brentford while trying to push through his move to the Magpies and then was immediately injured when his national team manager decided to stick him straight into the action back in September.
“We can’t change the situation,” Tomasson added. “I’m just happy that Liverpool are doing the same thing I would have done for him. You can see what Newcastle did with Yoane Wissa, who came in instead of Isak. He played international matches with Congo straight away and is now injured. He is still injured.
“That’s why we couldn’t play [Isak] so much last month. We need a good Isak this month and next month. That’s how we plan, and Liverpool have done really well.”
