Isak does what Salah used to do
Bournemouth 0–1 Liverpool, and the goal came from the only man on the pitch who looked like scoring one. Alexander Isak's fourth league goal of the season decided it, his first real contribution after an hour of nothing much (1) (2) (4). Adam Patel's summary was blunt: "Så bra avslut av Alexander Isak. Han har gjort en så dålig match, men det är inte något som bortasupportrarna kommer att bry sig om" (1). Correct. Bournemouth fans will not care either way. Liverpool have a striker who wins games he has no business winning, and that is exactly what they sold when Mohamed Salah left.
Five games, unbeaten, 6 points, 10th in the table, and still nobody at Anfield can explain the Fulham 0–0 (form: D D W W D). Draws are the story of this team, not defeats. Three of their last five have ended level.
The back line is the part that is actually working
Alisson got an 8 for the clean sheet at the Vitality (25). Jeremy Jacquet got one of Liverpool's best ratings alongside him (10), and Virgil van Dijk was measured about it afterwards: "I think he's shown a lot of good things this season. Still so young, a lot to learn and a lot to give" (8). Van Dijk also said the team "kunne gjort det mye bedre" despite the win (12), which is fair and also faintly generous to the attack. The away end found a back line that grinds out ugly 0–1s and loved it (3) (4).
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That is the real shift this season. Slot's Liverpool could win beautifully. Iraola's Liverpool wins dirty, and so far it has kept them within touching distance of the top five (15) (17).
Wirtz has run out of patience
The loudest argument of the week was not about Bournemouth at all. It was about Florian Wirtz, who set up the winner and still got savaged: "Enough is enough, it's time for Liverpool to drop him" (7), and Football365 went further, calling him "nothing" and Liverpool "not much more because of him" (14). He has not been the player Liverpool paid for, and one assist in a scrappy away win changes nothing. Iraola's own explanation for the summer makes the pressure worse, not better: the club chose the best available players over signing anyone for Salah's right flank specifically (30). If Wirtz is that choice, he has to start looking like one.
What to watch
Jamie Carragher has already come out defending Arne Slot over his Liverpool exit, calling him "een handige zondebok" (29), with the deeper problems laid at the club rather than the manager. Meanwhile Liverpool are pushing to tie 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha to a long-term deal before anyone else moves (28). He is 18. If Wirtz keeps this up, that contract stops being a formality and starts being a plan.
