{
  "id": 5516270,
  "title": "What? Alexander Isak has an unlikely rival to his No9 position at Liverpool",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/what-alexander-isak-has-an-unlikely-rival-to-his-no9-position-at",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T07:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/alexander-isak-unlikely-rival-no9-073500180.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a surprising turn of events, Liverpool's Alexander Isak faces an unlikely rival for his No9 position. Throughout his career at Newcastle United, Isak consistently scored 20+ goals in two consecutive seasons and regularly outperformed defenders like Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel, and William Saliba. However, since joining Liverpool, he has struggled to replicate his previous form. Injuries plagued his debut season at the club, and he has failed to make a significant impact in the two opening games of the current term.\n\nAlthough Isak currently has the highest Non-Penalty Expected Goals total in the Premier League, this number is not entirely accurate. A large portion of it is credited to a double chance against Newcastle, where the ball nearly bounced off his head twice in quick succession. Despite this, he scored a goal against Nottingham Forest, converting a Cody Gakpo cross. With Hugo Ekitike out until the New Year due to an Achilles injury, Liverpool lacks another senior centre-forward.\n\nThough Isak did find the back of the net against Forest, he has been generally absent from the action. The Reds do not have a clear replacement, although Bradley Barcola could potentially fill the role from Paris Saint-Germain. Currently, there is no significant pressure on Isak. Interestingly, Cody Gakpo, originally positioned as a false-nine, has been moved back to his preferred role on the left side of the attack under Arne Slot's guidance. Gakpo, who was nearly transferred to Manchester City, expressed interest in potentially moving to Tottenham Hotspur if Roberto De Zerbi assured him he would play as a centre-forward. This development could change the dynamics of Liverpool's attack until Ekitike's return, as Gakpo has shown the ability to handle the Premier League's physicality and has already proven himself as a goalscorer and creator this season.",
  "summary": "Liverpool's season hinges on Alexander Isak remembering he is Alexander Isak.During his time at Newcastle United, he struck 20+ goals in back-to-back seasons and regularly dominated the likes of Virgi...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}