23 Mar 2026 09:45:26
You missed the point of my post so I’ll repeat. I miss the defensive contributions of Darwin imo. If we had just some of his defensive hard work we would be in a better position many times.
I remember thinking his effort was exceptional in defence, especially for a striker, even more commendable when at the time he wasn’t on fire at the other end of the pitch.
23 Mar 2026 10:00:46
That's fair enough, Bauldy. You and a lot of other posters share the same view. I'm not one of them. He simply wasn't very good, in my opinion, and, pound for pound, was one of our biggest wastes of money.
23 Mar 2026 10:25:21
I don't buy what you say. I didn't want to sell Nunez just because I knew Isak would be a dumb signing at the price, especially as we needed more defenders and a winger.
Isak was an egoistic signing by Hughes and will probably be his final signing for us. He will leave us with his mess to clean.
We won't see Isak this season, and, well, let's be honest, we won't see him up and running next season either, with him trying to get back to fitness.
And, with the World Cup in between, Sweden will be desperate to have him, and I don't know if that's the right thing for his recovery.
As for defending from front, it's mostly a problem of pressing. We don't press at all anymore now, and just sit and hold an imaginary line. Don't think Nunez would help in the current system at all. With Wirtz in, he probably just would be isolated up top. He might have been a better winger than Gackpo though.
23 Mar 2026 10:33:47
I'll happily bet anyone that Isak will outscore Darwin's tally in his time here.
23 Mar 2026 11:04:22
Cafu = Harry, I assume.
Thank the heavens for the ignore button!!
23 Mar 2026 11:11:03
He needs to do more than beat Nunez's goal tally. LFC didn't pay £125million to beat 40 goals over 3 seasons.
23 Mar 2026 11:12:03
JK, I hope you're right. But I would say Slot has set up the team, and even if Isak was fit, it wouldn't play to his strengths. I never thought he was a good fit, in terms of attitude and playing style.
I hope you prove me wrong, mate, and I will be happy if he can stay fit and starts finding some form. I think we were wrong to pursue him like we did, and at the time I thought there were better options.
23 Mar 2026 11:34:26
Better options than Isak? Like who?
How short the memories are. Seriously embarrassing. Isak has been one of the best 3 or 4 strikers in the world before joining us. Seriously, some of our fans don't deserve Ricky Lambert, never mind Alexander Isak!
23 Mar 2026 11:55:40
Star seeker, luckily I don't set the club or player objectives, mate. If he can control a ball, pass it, and stay onside, then he'll be a step up from Darwin.
Charlies, I agree, mate, but none of our players look like they are built for Slot's set-up.
23 Mar 2026 12:11:51
Agreed, Rome. He was not good at all. But thankfully we received good money for him.
23 Mar 2026 12:13:08
To be fair, I said all summer that Alvarez, Osimhen, Joao Pedro and Lautaro were better options than Isak. I'm not saying Isak is a bad player or that he won't turn this around, to be clear, but there were definitely better options we could've pushed for than Isak. Isak, let's not forget, has always been injury-prone, and on top of that, he showed quite a poor attitude in the summer.
At his best, he's a better player than all of those above except Alvarez, but he's just so unreliable.
I do think Isak will go on to be world class still, but the concern for me is whether we get him for 20-25 games a season (a la Torres) or whether we get him for 32-38 games a season (a la Firmino).
23 Mar 2026 15:23:33
To be fair to Cafu, I don't necessarily disagree. Once we got Ekitike there was no need for Isak for me. Nunez as a backup left wing and striker may have been better than 125m(iirc) on Isak. I'd have preferred selling Nunez and chasing Doue/Barcola from PSG myself.
We should have also just stumped up the cash for Guehi.
The biggest problem I feel is that we have 4 players wanting what are essentially 3 roles available, all at the top end, with some back ups.
Do we play 2 up top next season with Wirtz as a 10, leaving us narrower in a sort of 4312, forcing Ekitike or Isak to the wing? That is pointless. They both play for me. I like Wirtz, he's creative and works.
I feel we will move away from this 433 where the third man in midfield moves into a 10 role, which leaves the midfield exposed if Gakpo and Salah choose not to get back and Wirtz can't press the entire team.
We have to move Salah and Gakpo on, and search for young hungry wingers to fill in as back up, and a change in formation when things aren't working. Personally I'd maybe move Frimpong further forward and sign a good defensive rb and relook at Doue/Barcola now that Semenyo is gone.
I'd also like an experienced CB option. Gomez is likely leaving and sadly never stepped up to the level hoped for. Leoni and Jacquet are young.
23 Mar 2026 16:48:06
Give Isak an actual chance to play before judging him.
He had no pre-season (his fault), and as he finally got up to speed he got the injury.
He will be, once again, one of the most feared strikers on the planet once fit and with a manager that can unlock the potential of this group of players.
Let's not forget how much Slot has affected players across the board -
Salah - huge drop off.
McAllister - One of the best in the world and World Cup winner.
Wirtz - Doesn't know how or where to play him.
Grav - declined on last season.
VVD - declined.
Konate - declined.
Elliot - sent him packing.
Robbo - dropped too soon for MK.
I cannot wait for a change in manager/backroom and boardroom.
23 Mar 2026 17:08:25
Look, I don't want to sound like hater, but Isak is nowhere near a recovery. He has absolutely, in his 25 years, shown any characteristic to show he is mentally strong/tough.
I would love to eat my words from gutter, but, my friends, I have seen enough football to know a player that is just not cut for big stage.