Roberto Firmino’s advice to Alexander Isak quickly paid off, happening just nine minutes into the game against Ipswich.
A few days after Liverpool’s Premier League season kicked off, Roberto Firmino shared some important advice with Alexander Isak — and it really showed in the first half against Ipswich.
Isak scored twice within just nine minutes at Portman Road, helping Andoni Iraola’s team take a 2-0 lead on Friday night.
His first goal was classic striker stuff: he received a pass from Cody Gakpo and fired the ball into the near post, beating Ipswich’s goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen. The save wasn’t perfect, but Isak’s shot was strong and accurate.
His second goal was even more impressive. Gakpo made a clever pass that broke through the Ipswich defense to reach Isak. Despite still having a lot to do, Isak cleverly moved past defender Jacob Greaves by cutting inside then outside, before neatly placing the ball in the bottom left corner past Scherpen.
Isak nearly scored a hat-trick at 33 minutes when he tapped in a low cross from Florian Wirtz, but he was just offside.
The Swedish striker came into this season under pressure after a tough year filled with injuries and poor form, especially considering his £125 million price tag. He had a hard time in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle in the first weekend but found the net during the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
The first half of this game showed the best of Isak, and he might have been thinking about Firmino’s advice before kickoff.
Firmino, who joined Liverpool for a smaller £29 million fee back in 2015, understands what it’s like to have a rough start at a big club. He didn’t score in his first three months, a period marked by Brendan Rodgers leaving and Jurgen Klopp arriving. Klopp moved Firmino to center forward, and his first goal — in a 4-1 win over Manchester City in November 2015 — set the stage for a brilliant career at Anfield. Firmino won seven trophies and scored 111 goals during his time there.
Now playing for Al Sadd in Qatar, Firmino spoke with The Athletic in late August about what Isak needs to do this season.
“Alex has to stay positive,” Firmino said. “All strikers have tough times, but he’s already shown he’s one of the best in the Premier League. There’s always pressure at a big club like Liverpool, especially when you come with a big price tag. He just needs to relax, and the goals will come.”
Isak certainly appeared more relaxed when he scored both goals against Ipswich — powering the first one in, then showing skill and confidence for the second.
“You can’t judge him based on last season because he missed a lot of games with injuries. It was a tough year for the whole team,” Firmino added. “But this is a fresh start with a new manager. I’m sure he’ll grow more confident as he gets to know his teammates and gets more chances. There’s no better place to be a number 9 than at Liverpool.”