‘That German At Newcastle’ – Ex-Dutch International Sympathises With Arne Slot
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Former Dutch international Rene van der Gijp has revealed that he feels sorry for Liverpool manager Arne Slot as he thinks Nick Woltemade and Viktor Gyokeres are outperforming Alexander Isak.
Isak joined the Reds on deadline day for a record £125m, after a long-drawn-out saga saw him arrive from Newcastle United without a proper pre-season under his belt.
He was warned early on by one former Liverpool star that the demands at Anfield are very different from those at St James’ Park.
Liverpool’s recent form only compounded the issue, with Slot having little wiggle room to play Isak into form.
Despite Liverpool’s recent revival, Slot remains under pressure to prove last term was not a flash in the pan.
Van der Gijp feels that unfortunately for Slot, Isak is being outperformed by his replacement at Newcastle, Woltemade, and Gyokeres and Reds team-mate Hugo Ekitike.
Isak breaking his leg now has only made the task harder for the Liverpool boss and Van der Gijp empathised with Slot.
Van der Gijp said on the KieftJansenEgmondGjip podcast (via Voetbal Primeur): “You buy a guy like that for €140m and actually all the other strikers who were bought, that guy from Arsenal, that German at Newcastle, and that Frenchman at Liverpool are doing better.
“And now he breaks his leg.”
Isak scored what was only his second goal in the red of Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur, demonstrating a clinical finish after an intelligent run.
The goal not only broke the deadlock against Tottenham, but also raised hopes that Isak was nearing his best after a slow start with the Reds.
It though, lasted for all of a few seconds, as it quickly became apparent that Isak had come off for the worse from the attempted block by Micky van de Ven.
Slot called the challenge ‘reckless’, but Spurs boss Thomas Frank was quick to defend his player.
The game was ill-tempered with two Spurs players sent off, leading journalist Alex Crook to claim that Frank does not have the respect of his players.
Liverpool have been anything but convincing, with the recent wins over Brighton and Spurs seemingly papering over the cracks, rather than providing any inklings of a long-standing solution.
Slot will be particularly aware of how jittery the Reds looked against Tottenham in the closing minutes despite having a two-man advantage.
With Isak out and Mohamed Salah away with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, it remains to be seen if Liverpool dip into the transfer market to strengthen the forward positions, as the squad already looks thin in defence and midfield despite a record outlay over the summer.
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