Andoni Iraola ready to unleash striker, might be better than Alexander Isak

Andoni Iraola looks ready to unleash a Liverpool striker. He may be an even better fit than Alexander Isak.

Alexander Isak has an injury. The Swede returned early from international duty, which was always a worrying sign as it suggested the problem was one that no one could afford to take a chance on.

Sweden had a couple of fixtures left in the international break but didn’t feel Isak could play a role in any of them. Would he really, by complete chance, recover exactly in time to face Manchester City with Liverpool?

Well, it sounds like that massive slice of luck may not have come to pass. Andoni Iraola has admitted that Isak is injured and it’s still very much ‘wait and see’ on whether he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.

“I think Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo both have had to leave the national teams with injuries,” Iraola said in his press conference.

“Now it’s a matter of if they are going to recover in time to help us in the next game or not. But right now they are both injured.”

Lewis Koumas's time to shine

Isak potentially not playing is an opportunity for Lewis Koumas. As mad as it sounds, Liverpool may not opt for a striker who was playing in the Championship last season - and not scoring many goals.

But Koumas’s purpose in this Liverpool squad isn’t to score goals. It’s to press, it’s to run the channels, and it’s to create as much movement as possible up top.

It’s a role that Iraola is massively keen on. That’s been proven not just by Koumas being included in the first-team squad to begin with but by reports that he’s used the Welshman as an example for Isak (per the Mail).

And it means that Koumas might be a better fit for this Sunday, in all truth. Liverpool won’t be controlling possession all that much, meaning a player who can consistently press the City backline is a must.

Not to mention that Koumas can create the right level of chaos in a fixture like this - chaos that should unsettle a City side playing at Anfield.

Now, that’s not to say that Koumas is a superior player to Isak. He’s not. In fact, he’s not particularly close to his level. But in certain matches, Liverpool might just fancy the younger player for their gameplan.

And we think Sunday might be one of those.