Isak under fire as Liverpool capitulate to Leeds in Chicago

Liverpool’s pre-season took an ugly turn in Chicago as a two-nil cushion melted into a 4-2 defeat to Leeds United, and the fallout has zeroed in on Alexander Isak. Clips of the £125m striker’s display have gone viral, sparking a barrage of hot takes about his sharpness, pace and presence. It’s only July, yes—but the optics aren’t kind.

Isak under the microscope

There’s no hiding place when you’re the British-record signing. Isak endured a stop-start 2025/26, much of it spent rehabbing and rebuilding, and while he showed glimpses at the World Cup—one goal and three assists for Sweden across four outings—the expectation at Anfield is different gravy. The first big pre-season compilation doing the rounds has supporters muttering that the edge isn’t quite there yet, questioning the burst, the snap in his movements, the instinctive finishes.

This is precisely the stretch where a £125m forward must flip the narrative—set the tempo, stretch defences, and turn half-chances into headlines. The truth? Match rhythm is hard-won, and he’s still chasing it. But when the price tag is that weighty, patience inevitably wears thin.

Context matters — but patience is thinning

It’s pre-season, a testing lab more than a finished product. Andoni Iraola is bedding in ideas after a long summer, with several faces still easing back from World Cup exertions. Legs are heavy, timing is off, and patterns are scribbles rather than scripts. Yet supporters needed a little sizzle to go with the sales pitch, and that late collapse to Leeds—after leading by two with half an hour left—was a jolt. You can accept rust; you can’t embrace a fold.

Paper-thin at the back

The Isak chatter is loud, but Liverpool’s defensive depth is the bigger klaxon. As it stands, Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet are the only fit senior centre-backs, with Joe Gomez sidelined yet again. Whispers suggest Jeremie Frimpong might be asked to moonlight centrally at points—square peg, meet round hole—if reinforcements don’t arrive. That’s not a plan; that’s a fire extinguisher.

The registration riddle Liverpool must solve

Here’s the bind: Liverpool already sit on 16 non-homegrown players. The cap is 17. Bring in Bradley Barcola and you’ve used the final slot, meaning no further non-homegrown arrivals without outgoings. It underlines a summer that’s felt lopsided—plenty of energy poured into replacing Mohamed Salah after his contract expired, but scant urgency on fortifying centre-half. A reluctance to move on fringe pieces leaves recruitment threading a needle with oven gloves.

What next for Iraola and Isak?

Iraola’s blueprint requires intensity and clarity. That means minutes for rhythm, yes, but also settled partnerships and a defensive spine you can set your watch by. For Isak, it’s about living in the penalty area again—front-post runs, quicker triggers, and showing for the ball when play stalls. A single confident finish can change the mood music of an entire tour.

If you’re trying to read the tea leaves of pre-season form—or simply weighing where the value might be—keep an eye on how the market reacts across the best betting sites. It often tells you when the football world truly starts to believe.

Bottom line

There’s mitigation aplenty—fitness, travel, tactical bedding-in—but Liverpool can’t duck the basics: protect a lead, defend the box, and get their crown-jewel striker humming. The fans don’t need fireworks in July. They do need signs that, come August, this team won’t be learning on the job.