Alexander Isak

[Paul12]

Missing pre-season proper can leave you playing catch up for sharpness and fitness for most of the season. Mac Allister also missed the bulk of pre-season and he’s also looked a shadow of last season.

I get the concerns over how smart this transfer is looking now though. £125m for a 26 year old who we’re probably going to have to wait until later part of this season or even next season before we see the best of him?

Why is it not possible to take a player out of the natchday squad and do a mid-season pre-season?

[vlahka]

Every time I saw him playing for newcastle he was always sitting around the penalty box waiting for tap ins or a quick shot. Maybe its me but I never saw him running around heaps.

[Slinky Skills]

Just watched the highlights again and after he was brought on, there were a couple of times we broke quickly where you would have thought would have been ideal opportunities for him. When Chiesa played in Mo and again at the end when Mo messed up the final ball. Isak was nowhere to be seen on both occasions - at least Darwin used to make the effort to get into positions where he could miss.

And he was bloody good at it too, missing that is.

[rudedog]

Just watched the highlights again and after he was brought on, there were a couple of times we broke quickly where you would have thought would have been ideal opportunities for him. When Chiesa played in Mo and again at the end when Mo messed up the final ball. Isak was nowhere to be seen on both occasions - at least Darwin used to make the effort to get into positions where he could miss.

[Norbs]

You've answered the question and then posed the same question

[Charly]

I dont think it bodes well. Ekitike has pretty much made himself undroppable recently. Unless we can find a formation to have both in the team, Iask will struggle to find chances while we are battling for every point.

I think we have masssively overpaid. We could have bought in a defender DM and Midfielder of decent quality for the same price, and given Chiesa an opportunity.

That said, if he can get fit and show the form he did at Newcastle, then that would be great

[Doc_Piptorious]

We've seen plenty of players out injured longer than a preseason where they cant even train. And it usually takes them a few weeks to get back into things. Isak COULD train on his own during it and hes been playing for months now. If anything I bet the fee paid and the expectation has done something mentally to him.

He moving like a guy with a groin problem and he does have a history of those.

I was not judging him on his earlier form because every time he got in the right number of weeks to count as a pre season, he would get knocked out for another few weeks and more or less be starting from scratch again.

But the last two games he has been involved in for us he has been turning like an oil tanker and seems to look awkward lifting/bending his knees too quickly.

There are times you see him watching the channels and then ging to make a run, but from that point on he looks like he is running through custard.

[Mark79]

He missed pre-season. Didn't play for the first month of the season because he wasn't fit enough, Slot's words. Then he featured for a month. Then missed another 2 weeks with adductor issues. Now been back playing again the past few weeks.

He hasn't been playing continuously for months. His season has been very stop start and disrupted so far.

The fee, expectation, pressure etc, may well also be hampering him. It doesn't have to be one thing

[vlahka]

We've seen plenty of players out injured longer than a preseason where they cant even train. And it usually takes them a few weeks to get back into things. Isak COULD train on his own during it and hes been playing for months now. If anything I bet the fee paid and the expectation has done something mentally to him.

[Mark79]

No probs, I don’t think missing the preseason friendlies but being fit to train is the same thing as being injured (and not being able to train).

Regardless of that, missing the preseason doesn’t explain the complete lack of form we are still seeing from Isak - he barely looks any better than he did 3 months ago.

I'm just saying they both had disrupted or incomplete pre-seaons and I think it's showing.

Personally, I do think that is at the very least a contributor to a lack of form and fitness dragging into the season.

[rudedog]

I'm not sure what the difference is? They both missed pre-season, or the majority of it.

Pre-season isn't just the friendlies. It's the intensity of the training and all the other preparation involved with it. Individual training or personal 'pre-season' during the season is no comparison for that. Isak was always going to be playing catch up and I mentioned Macca because we're possibly seeing a similar thing with him.

No probs, I don’t think missing the preseason friendlies but being fit to train is the same thing as being injured (and not being able to train).

Regardless of that, missing the preseason doesn’t explain the complete lack of form we are still seeing from Isak - he barely looks any better than he did 3 months ago.

[Mark79]

Yeah, I know - just pointing out the difference between Isak and the likes of Alexis who missed preseason through injury (your other example). Having missed the preseason friendlies isn’t a big enough reason to explain why he still looks so out of form 3.5 months after he signed for us.

It’s also not like he’s had to adapt to an entirely new league and country/culture like Ekitike and Wirtz have

I'm not sure what the difference is? They both missed pre-season, or the majority of it.

Pre-season isn't just the friendlies. It's the intensity of the training and all the other preparation involved with it. Individual training or personal 'pre-season' during the season is no comparison for that. Isak was always going to be playing catch up and I mentioned Macca because we're possibly seeing a similar thing with him.

[rudedog]

He trained individually. He didn't have a proper pre-season with either club.

Yeah, I know - just pointing out the difference between Isak and the likes of Alexis who missed preseason through injury (your other example). Having missed the preseason friendlies isn’t a big enough reason to explain why he still looks so out of form 3.5 months after he signed for us.

It’s also not like he’s had to adapt to an entirely new league and country/culture like Ekitike and Wirtz have

[Mark79]

It’s not that he was injured and couldn’t train in preseason though, he just missed the games. We keep waiting for him to show up but the reality is we are now 2 weeks away from 2026 and still waiting.

He trained individually. He didn't have a proper pre-season with either club.

[rudedog]

We've been playing him as well though. The training between games is never going to be anywhere near as intensive as a proper pre-season. That's the period the gives players their base fitness to set them up for the season.

Doing your 'pre-season' during the actual season, while also playing games, is never going to be as effective.

It’s not that he was injured and couldn’t train in preseason though, he just missed the games. We keep waiting for him to show up but the reality is we are now 2 weeks away from 2026 and still waiting.