Elite striker is coming and he's going to save Liverpool

An elite striker is coming and Liverpool could really use him. The forward will save the day for the Reds.

Liverpool's attack isn't what it should be. I'm sure everyone can agree on that - there's been a truly incredible amount spent on it, after all, but the Reds don't break teams down with any regularity.

It's a situation made worse by the options provided to Andoni Iraola. He has four left-wingers, no right-wingers, and one experienced striker. That's not a group that any rational person would put together for a new head coach.

The result is a Liverpool side that doesn't flow properly. The individual quality is there but the Reds rely on having an abundance of individuals who can produce individual moments, rather than a free-flowing attack that gels together well.

Now, that might be a tactic that works and sees Liverpool through the season but it's only going to work if Iraola is able to call on a seriously impressive group of forwards. Having only one natural centre-forward essentially ends the plan there and then - but help is on the way.

Hugo Ekitiké will return

It's very, very easy to forget that Liverpool do have Hugo Ekitiké. He was, per our Value Adder model, the most valuable forward at Liverpool last season and yet he hasn't featured thus far.

And he won't for some time. We don't actually expect Ekitiké to be back before 2027, quite honestly, and Iraola must see out at least the next few months without him.

But the Frenchman will be back and he's exactly what the squad needs right now. Not only is he an extra option to pad out the elite numbers up top but he's cover for Alexander Isak - a forward you don't necessarily want to rely on to be injury-free for an entire season.

And so if Iraola can keep Liverpool in touching distance of trophies this season, we do believe that Ekitiké can return at the end of the campaign to make all the difference.

Maybe that's in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League. Maybe it's to mount a title challenge. Or maybe it's just to get them over the line in the FA Cup.

Either way, this is a seriously impressive group of forwards when all fit. Having them all also keeps them all fit - and that's where relying on individual brilliance can pay off. Rotating your forwards, both before and during matches, should guarantee having players at the peak of their powers on the pitch at all times.

That's how this strategy works and Ekitiké's return is what will make it happen.