There’s a fine line between sensible rotation and muddling your own priorities, and this recent handling of the forward options feels like it’s drifted into the second category. JK23 missed the Palace match through suspension, fair enough. But in the eight league games after that, starting only three and sitting out five doesn’t look like a player being managed. It looks like a player being moved aside.
You can dress it up as workload management if you want, but when a change keeps repeating itself it starts to feel like a choice rather than circumstance. And in this case, it’s hard not to read it as Arne Slot leaning towards Isak, either because he prefers him or because he’s trying to get him going.
Rotation is fine. Risking points isn’t.
Truth is, the Premier League isn’t the place to run your fitness programme. It’s unforgiving. You don’t get a few weeks to “play yourself in” without it biting you somewhere. If Isak wasn’t properly fit, there were obvious alternatives: minutes for the reserves, or carefully managed cameos off the bench that grow from 10 to 20 to 30, without you ripping up what’s already working.
That’s what cups are for too. A League Cup game, especially against the same opponent, is exactly the sort of fixture where you can hand someone a start, get the rhythm into their legs, and keep the league plan intact. Instead, it sounds like the league has been used as the testing ground, and that’s where frustration comes from.
Merit has to matter more than price tags
There’s also a basic football principle here: if you’ve got a forward who gives you your best chance to win, you start him when he’s fit. The point about Ekitike is pretty simple and it’ll resonate with plenty of Liverpool fans. When he starts, the team looks more like itself. When he doesn’t, it becomes a different conversation.
And no, the price tag shouldn’t decide it. That’s not how a proper side operates. Fans don’t celebrate “protecting an asset”. They celebrate three points, momentum, and a team that feels settled.
Selection sends a message
What makes it feel messy is the wider context. If Isak genuinely refused to train, then the idea of him being fast-tracked into league minutes is hard to square with standards. Liverpool sides at their best are built on accountability. You can’t preach it and then bend it the moment you fancy a different option.
To be fair, managers will always back their own judgement, and Slot will have his reasons. But from the outside, it looks like Liverpool have complicated something that didn’t need complicating. Get players fit in the right settings, pick the side that wins you matches, and stop treating league fixtures like rehab sessions.
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