Isaac is here, what should I do with Ekitic? Coexistence or choose one, Slot has new troubles

For Liverpool fans, the arrival of happiness is sometimes so unexpected.

On the first day of September, I woke up and found that the team won the game, but what really made people jump out of bed was Romano's iconic "HWG" - Liverpool signed Isaac by buzzer!

The whole summer, the rumors of transfer between Isaac and Liverpool were twists and turns. Just when everyone was almost hopeless, things suddenly turned around. Finally, at the countdown before the summer window closed, the Swedish international put on a red robe as he wished.

With Isaac joining, plus French star Ekitic, who was previously signed for 95 million, German attacker Werz introduced for 125 million, and players such as Salah, Garkepo and Ngumoha, Liverpool's forward strength has been greatly enhanced, and he has the capital to sweep his opponents in the Premier League.

However, a realistic problem also emerged: Ekitic, who was previously regarded as "Plan B", is now a teammate with Isaac in Anfield. How should two modern centers with a height of more than 1.9 meters and both speed and technology coexist? What kind of tactics will coach Slot design to maximize their power?

This is undoubtedly a "difficult problem of happiness".

At first glance, the style is really similar to

In recent years, the Premier League's tactical style has changed significantly, and high-position defense has gradually become the mainstream, which has directly affected the requirements for center type.

The traditional power center appears bulky in front of the high-level defense line, while the pure speed forward is difficult to perform in intensive defense. With "high-fast" all-round centers like Haaland becoming the answer, attackers like Isaac and Ekitic naturally become scarce resources.

Liverpool's scouting department has continued to pay attention to such players in the past two seasons. Whether it is the "original intention" Isaac or the "alternative" Ekitic, they are in-depth considerations made by the club based on tactical adaptation. Ekitic can be an alternative because they all have the most valued traits of modern centers: the combination of body and speed.

Isaac is a very unique center: tall, strong, delicate, capable of both pushing and shooting, and has proved himself in the Premier League. Ekitic is slightly inferior in combat, but his style is very similar. The 1.9-meter-tall French center looks thin but has strong dribbling ability.

Both are good at retracement or pulling the ball, and use their personal abilities to complete one-on-one breakthroughs. Isaac is 1.93 meters and Ekitic is 1.9 meters, and his sprinting speed is excellent. Such physical conditions are perfectly suitable for Liverpool's high-pressure playing style. Against the backdrop of the fact that opponents generally adopt high-position defense, the tactical value of such "high-fast" strikers with strong impact has been further magnified.

Isaac and Ekitic have many similarities in game styles

The different "problem-solving ideas": Terminator vs. Thinker

For Liverpool, who is determined to compete for the championship, if I can only choose one of Isaac and Ekitic, Isaac is undoubtedly a safer choice. As soon as the first battle, he has proved his strength and stability in the Premier League in recent seasons. He is good at playing in the right half of the run. Although his running coverage is not as good as Ekitic, he has a more tacit understanding of his teammates.

Ekitic, although he contributed 2 goals and 1 assist in three Premier League games in the third Premier League game, had a stunning start, and his potential needs to be further explored.

In addition to the experience gap, these two strikers with similar physical conditions also have obvious differences in technical characteristics - this may also be the key reason why Liverpool still decided to sign Isaac when they have introduced Ekitic.

Isaac, which has been inspected in the Premier League, is the terminator in the penalty area. Data shows that the Swedish scorer's Premier League shot positive rate is as high as 60.53%, and his shot conversion rate is 30.26%, with an average of 0.8 goals per 90 minutes, and his efficiency is top-notch.

Ekitic's style is different. He appeared more on the right side during his Frankfurt period, but was still an all-round center in nature. The most prominent thing is his running ability, he can take a very deep position when defending, and his counter-attacking data is also quite impressive. Although there are occasional fluctuations at the technical level, the attack depth is strong and the handling in front of the door is decisive. How does

coexist? After joining Slotte's happiness and worries

, Isaac joined, how to integrate these two valuable top centers into the same system is undoubtedly Slotte's most "happy" worries. Perhaps before the official announcement, Slot had conceived several sets of tactics, waiting for all the staff to be in place to release the maximum power of the Red Army's offensive end.

1. The more compact 4-2-3-1, the most direct way for Isaac to break out in one single arrow is to use 4-2-3-1, let Salah and Ekitic pull in, place it on both sides of Werz, and hand it over to Flynnon and Kolkz on the side.

Flynnon is Arnold's successor and has excellent offensive skills. When he returns from injury, he is expected to liberate Salah to move closer to the middle, and Ekitic also has the opportunity to play his characteristics in a position similar to the No. 10 position.

Under this system, Salah, Werz and Ekitic will take turns to serve in the No. 10 position. When Salah or Ekitikra side, the other person will approach Wilz and form a diamond-shaped midfield with McAllister and Heraffenberg. In some cases, Ekitic or Salah can also directly push up and assist Isaac's attack as a center.

2. Ekitic + Isaac's double striker changed to 4-2-2-2

Ekitic's highlight moment in Frankfurt came from a forward partner with Omar Marmush - until the latter switched to Manchester City in January, causing Topmull to give up 3-5-2. At that time, Marmush and Ekitic frequently changed positions, one person retreated and the other person stepped forward. The smooth dynamic cooperation made the defensive players at a loss, and also helped Frankfurt maintain the momentum of championship competition before the end of last year..

Liverpool is unlikely to play three central defenders in the short term, not only because Salah needs to be placed on the bench 3-5-2, but also because there are obvious risks in the arrangement of double strikers in the midfield. Slott's Liverpool usually has a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 off the ball, but the key difference is that when there is a ball, there will be a No. 10 retracement to serve as the third midfielder.

However, if you directly play the double striker, the midfield defense will be more fragile, and the double back midfield needs to cover a larger space. Once it is quickly converted, it is easy to be exposed to counterattack. In addition, how to arrange Wiltz to the left is also a problem - he only occasionally plays this side in Leverkusen and Germany.

Therefore, this tactic is more likely to be used in the stage of Liverpool's full attack and fighting and chasing points. Regular time use is still too risky.

3. Ekitic and Werz form the "Double Eight"

Werz is often compared with De Bruyne, while Ekitic's old partner in Frankfurt played De Bruyne's position at Manchester City.

Ekitic also has the ability to adapt to the mixed role of No. 8/10 position, and the way he partnered with Wiltz is similar to Guardiola's practice of placing two attacking midfielders in front of a single midfielder. Guardiola had a profound influence on Slott, who even called Guardiola football the "ultimate happiness."

Perhaps, Slott will also plan to further the Gua-style philosophy and regularly use the "Double Eight" or even the "Double Ten" system.

But be aware that the Premier League is becoming more and more open, and the slow ball control style is gradually declining, which is why Guardiola now uses double midfielders more often than early double cores. When the ball possession rate of a strong team decreases, the opponent's formation will no longer be flattened, and a solid midfield foundation is crucial to resisting a quick counterattack.

In most cases, it is difficult to support the thickness of the midfield by Heraffenberg alone. However, Manchester City's 4-3-3 ball control style is still worth looking forward to.

4. All-round substitute: Ekitic's versatile attributes

Although Ekitic's start in the new season is eye-catching, Liverpool does not need to force all the aces into the starting lineup at the same time. After all, if everything goes well, Liverpool's total number of games this season may exceed 60 games - it must keep the front line active through rotation and disrupt the opponent's deployment.

Spending 95 million to bring in the substitute sounds extravagant, but Ekitic is likely to be Liverpool's second choice in four different positions. Considering the injury, rotation needs of a weekly double-game, and Slot's tactical adjustments to different opponents, even if he is not the absolute main player, it is not difficult for him to get more than 30 starting opportunities in various competitions in one season.

The head coach of the top team has long stopped obsessing with "fixed starters of 11 players" - the schedule is intensive and the injuries are frequent. As many Liverpool fans have realized: the strongest lineup in theory rarely really plays at the same time for a long time.

Conclusion

Ekitic has proved himself in the preseason and the opening stages and quickly conquered Anfield. Isaac's stable output in the Premier League in the past two seasons can also make him an undeniable choice for Liverpool. Perhaps in the near future, we will see a scene like this: when the opponent mounts the bus, Ekitic retreats and connects, and Isaac is cruising in the penalty area like a ghost; when the opponent presses at high positions, the two can support each other with speed and direct passes. This variability is exactly what Liverpool needs to strive for the championship.

Isaac's signing is not only about the present, but also focuses on the future. Isaac, 25, and Ekitic, 23, are both in the rising career stage, and their growth curve is highly consistent with Liverpool's reconstruction plan. Today, when players' value is soaring, such investment is likely to bring excess returns in the future.

Liverpool's forward revolution is underway. The combination of Isaac and Ekitic may redefine the tactical value of Premier League centers. In this era of emphasis on diversity, having two centers with different styles but both top-notch may be the last puzzle for Liverpool to compete for the Premier League championship.