In order to avoid a possible ban, Liverpool star Alexander Isak was not utilised as a replacement for Sweden on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Isak watched from the sidelines in Stockholm as his nation finished their dismal World Cup qualifying campaign with a late 1-1 draw with Slovenia.
For the third straight game, Liverpool’s £125 million acquisition was not included in the starting lineup. Isak played 28 minutes as Sweden was blasted 4-1 by Switzerland on Saturday after being an unused replacement in the Reds’ devastating 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
The Swedes only managed two points from six games, placing them last in Group B. Last month, former West Ham manager Graham Potter was temporarily hired as manager due to their poor performance under Jon Dahl Tomasson.
This is due to the fact that Sweden still has a chance of making it to the 2026 World Cup, having qualified for the play-offs thanks to their outstanding Nations League campaign. In a one-leg semifinal, Sweden will play one of Italy, Turkey, Denmark, or Ukraine away from home. Isak was one of nine Swedish players who may be suspended.
Isak could’ve done with the minutes but hard to blame Potter
It makes sense that the Swedes wouldn’t want to run the danger of Isak—or any of the other eight players who were only one booking away from a suspension—causing a ban for the play-off semi-final because there was nothing at stake in last night’s game.
But as John Aldridge well pointed out, the Liverpool striker would have benefited from playing more in Stockholm to improve his fitness for the start of the club season this weekend.
Given that Hugo Ekitike has been on target for France for the last week, it is probable that the 26-year-old will be on the bench at Anfield rather than being rushed back into the action when the team plays Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
But if his body doesn’t fail him again in the coming weeks, Isak will undoubtedly receive a few starting chances since the Reds have eight games before Christmas.
Although it’s unfortunate that he didn’t receive some playing time on Tuesday, Potter will feel justified in benching the forward to guarantee his availability for the March play-offs.
