Liverpool boss heaped praise on Newcastle’s golden boy Isak

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot hails Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, Alexander Isak and the attacking threat that they possess. The Reds will face the Magpies in the Premier League clash at Anfield on Wednesday to maintain pressure on Arsenal.

Liverpool have an 11-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand, in the Premier League title race. The Reds enjoyed a big break last weekend after beating the defending champions Manchester City as West Ham defeated Arsenal.

However, the job is not finished yet as 11 Premier League games are left which starts with the Magpies game. Newcastle secured a 3-3 draw against Liverpool in their first Premier League clash of this season at St. James Park.

The Magpies scored a late winner after a critical misjudgment from goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher leading to the late dramatic goal. Newcastle have enjoyed some incredibly strong performances on their home turf amid an overall inconsistent season for them so far.

Nevertheless, their attack involving Anthony Gordon and their incredible number nine Isak possess a fearsome counter-attacking threat with consistent goal-scoring. Speaking in the pre-match press conference (via Liverpoolfc.com), Liverpool boss Slot praised Newcastle and their manager Howe along with Isak. He said:

“It’s an understatement to say that he’s in fine form. I think he’s in excellent form. Also over there it’s the team performance that will help us [in] controlling him. So the more ball possession we have, the easier it is to control him, although he is definitely a threat on the counter-attack as well. We’ve got two very, very, very good centre-backs, and that’s definitely what you need if you face a striker with the quality of Alexander Isak.”

The Liverpool head coach highlighted the high-intense tempo that Newcastle along with a good game plan from Howe. He added:

“But it’s not only about him, I like the style of play that Eddie Howe introduced there. They are always a team that has a very good game plan, they are really intense with and without the ball, [a] high-intense tempo in the game, so that helps a No.9 as well because the better your teammates are, the more chances you get. He’s not the only offensive threat they have – I think [Anthony] Gordon and the right-winger as well, so they are a big threat. It’s not only about him but he’s definitely having a great season.”

Liverpool have to control the possession, contrary to their game plan against Man City last weekend. Slot allowed the Citizens to dictate the game but the defensive masterclass completely nullified the City’s attacking threats.

Liverpool needs to balance this game more efficiently to squeeze out a positive result along with a potential clean sheet. Slot outlined the offensive threat of Newcastle that would potentially need few chances to hurt the Reds. He said:

“They have so much offensive threat. I think normally they are not a team that concedes so many goals because they are very aggressive in defending as well. I saw – not for this game but just out of interest – the semi-final they played against Arsenal and we all know how well Arsenal are when it comes to attacking, also in defending, but in this situation in attacking and they just kept them away from their goal by defending really strong, maybe similar to what we did at City – defending with 10 or 11 players. They can score goals but they are also able to defend really strong, and that is what makes them such a difficult team to play against.”

More Liverpool News:

• Match Preview: Liverpool vs Newcastle United
• Van Dijk to Liverpool fans: “Let’s make Anfield horrible for opponents”
• Clinical but unreliable: Liverpool star’s fitness is a recurring problem for Slot

Liverpool will play seven out of the remaining 11 Premier League games at Anfield. This clash against the Magpies is one of the trickiest home clashes for the Reds as they need to prove that complacency is not an issue.