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Isakly what we need

Once we had Ekitike, I think spending that dough on Alvarez would’ve been a better move

Alvarez made it clear he wouldn’t consider a move until 2026. 500 mill release clause and Barca are quoted 200 mill as a fee in 2026.
 
Nobody put in a bid to test it.I’ve read back on some of the rumours from the summer and can’t see anything saying he’s not moving until 2026.
 
Other than GK area we have been shit every where else. I don't see how you can single out players for clearly is coaching and tactics issue?
Let's we got Alvarez instead and his performance mirrored Isak, the same people would be moaning on why we didn't get Isak.
Isak is a very good player but we need a coach who knows how to get the best out of him. I have very little faith in Slot in the way he handles the players
 
I’m not sure coaching is the issue with Isak. Mostly, he is just out form for both club and country. When you are out of form, it is doubly important to just work your socks off. Win the ball high up the field. Create space for others with smart ones. At the very least, make yourself a nuisance. That is what Darwin did in spades, which is a main reason he was given so much time by the managers and supporters.

So, I want to at least see Isak work bloody hard, before I point any finger at a coach. The work hard standard should be given, which was a large reason Salah has been criticized during his slump.
 
Nah it's fucked. It's not working and it's never going to work. At least not under this manager.

We cannot seemingly get him involved in our build up and we cannot get him on the ball at the end.

Is it him? Is it the tactic? Don't know. Don't care.

We've pissed our transfer record up the wall. We should have got a first choice winger and we should have got a young striker as backup to Ekitike.
This is all hindsight. Ekitike IS the young backup. Nobody could foresee how good he's been.

That said Isak is too good not to come good.
 
This is all hindsight. Ekitike IS the young backup. Nobody could foresee how good he's been.

That said Isak is too good not to come good.
It was a 9/10 window. They should have got Guehi before getting Leoni. As people say hindsight is a beautiful thing. Slot fucked up with tactics and coaching, we have tall players yet we are shit at set pieces.
 
It was a 9/10 window. They should have got Guehi before getting Leoni. As people say hindsight is a beautiful thing. Slot fucked up with tactics and coaching, we have tall players yet we are shit at set pieces.
I was talking about Isak and Ekitike. What has anything you've said got to do with that?
 
This is all hindsight. Ekitike IS the young backup. Nobody could foresee how good he's been.

That said Isak is too good not to come good.
Is Isak too good to not come good, or was he just playing in a system that maximises his involvement?

And buying a 22 year old striker isn't exactly "young" anymore (in the world of football). I'm talking 19-20
 
Isak is to good not to come good. He’s young and fits any team.

I just don't see it with us. He doesn't burst a lung getting in to positions for counter attacks, and for the most part our wingers don't like to square it

If he had the work rate, then absolutely

If our system maximised him, absolutely

The reason Ekitike is working so well is because he's super mobile and isn't afraid to run with the ball. The most I've seen of Isak is when he's drifted wide and tries to drive in to the box
 
It works both ways though, we have to play to his strengths and do our best to make it work for him. We bought him, we must have had a plan for him. While I do believe it will eventually click (Wirtz is already looking stronger and more resilient), it can go wrong. Personally I'd like to see Isak and Ekitike together more often than not, with Wirtz either wide or behind, or you know, the Italian lad.
 
I don't know why I'm supposed to be arsed about whether it works out for Isak.

We just need wins. We don't get style points for winning with the expensive players we just bought. We've got Ekitike going. We could try using the billows on the log that is already burning and get him flying.

Players WILL get injured and at some point Isak will NEED to play a fair amount. That's his opportunity.
 
Don't buy too good to fail with Isak, concerns on his long term fit before and his playing style is not something that will just work with any team. That said, he has time to make it right but was unnecessary risk from us. If there was a super expensive striker we had to get (which I didn't think necessarily needed to gamble on!) then lad from Gala would have been it. This is super indulgent signing for us.
 
Don't buy too good to fail with Isak, concerns on his long term fit before and his playing style is not something that will just work with any team. That said, he has time to make it right but was unnecessary risk from us. If there was a super expensive striker we had to get (which I didn't think necessarily needed to gamble on!) then lad from Gala would have been it. This is super indulgent signing for us.

Isak is a great fit for us though. Last season he touched the ball per game more than any other striker in the league, he created more open play chances then most of them and he scored 17 open play goals.
Its BS that he's more suited to a team that plays counter attacking football. Its just not true.
Newcastle only scored 7 counter attacking goals last season.

His profile is excellent for us. Its just that people are comparing the out of form and not fit Isak with what we will be getting in the future.

Oshimen is mental. He scores goals but wouldnt be a good fit for the team or culture. He's also on insane wages.
There is a reason he's happy playing in Turkey.
 
Isak is a great fit for us though. Last season he touched the ball per game more than any other striker in the league, he created more open play chances then most of them and he scored 17 open play goals.
Its BS that he's more suited to a team that plays counter attacking football. Its just not true.
Newcastle only scored 7 counter attacking goals last season.

His profile is excellent for us. Its just that people are comparing the out of form and not fit Isak with what we will be getting in the future.

Oshimen is mental. He scores goals but wouldnt be a good fit for the team or culture. He's also on insane wages.
There is a reason he's happy playing in Turkey.
That's rubbish. Not convinced about this whole touching the ball stats, is it so different that I hardly see him touching ball for us this season?
If he had done it consistently then would go with that but he hasn't. It was his break out season and 130m was mental for a player with that kind of profile. Oshimen has done it consistently and has done it in CL, wages would be the insane aspect but isn't Isak on Insane wages too? I think he would have come for a big club but not suggesting he was right for us though, point was £130m wasn't really justified for that kind of profile. We should have gone for a player around similar price profile as Ekitke or less. We needed a striker but doesn't necessarily mean we needed Isak.
 
Balotelli + goals - likability + AFCON = Osimhen.
As disappointed as I am with Isak, we were right to swerve that one.
 
That's rubbish. Not convinced about this whole touching the ball stats, is it so different that I hardly see him touching ball for us this season?
If he had done it consistently then would go with that but he hasn't. It was his break out season and 130m was mental for a player with that kind of profile. Oshimen has done it consistently and has done it in CL, wages would be the insane aspect but isn't Isak on Insane wages too? I think he would have come for a big club but not suggesting he was right for us though, point was £130m wasn't really justified for that kind of profile. We should have gone for a player around similar price profile as Ekitke or less. We needed a striker but doesn't necessarily mean we needed Isak.

Its not rubbish.


Regarding getting him involved. Thats on us as a team as well and using him correctly in the build up or his runs in behind. I think we'll see a better version of him and us without Salah.
 
What makes him similar to Balotelli then? (agree with likability) and don't think we were ever interested in Osimhen, however pity we swerved into Isak. Let's wait and see but I so far signs are worrying on his integration so far.
 
Its not rubbish.


Regarding getting him involved. Thats on us as a team as well and using him correctly in the build up or his runs in behind. I think we'll see a better version of him and us without Salah.
That is very hopeful, based on what? He has played a few times instead of Salah and offered nothing so far. Why is it upto the team to use him correctly? if you join a top team then player is often the one expected to fit in, not other way around. He can only improve at this stage.
 
That is very hopeful, based on what? He has played a few times instead of Salah and offered nothing so far. He can only improve.

His best game was West Ham away. I find it difficult to be disappointed with a player that hasnt been fit yet and that we havent utilized to the best of his abilities yet either.
Both Ekitike and Isak will look better as our vocal points of attack. Without Salah.
 
His best game was West Ham away. I find it difficult to be disappointed with a player that hasnt been fit yet and that we havent utilized to the best of his abilities yet either.
Both Ekitike and Isak will look better as our vocal points of attack. Without Salah.
I think Ekitke works regardless but let's see about Isak... all I heard so far is a lot of concessions this season for a player brought in for 130m about not being fit, club not using him well etc. His pressing so far is the worst I have seen of any striker player for us. Let's see but I don't see him being any different with or without Salah, he is out of excuses.
 
Balotelli + goals - likability + AFCON = Osimhen.
As disappointed as I am with Isak, we were right to swerve that one.
Nothing like Balo, I don't see the similarities apart.
26 goals out of 30 in a crap league must admit but also 6 goals out of 4 games in CL, he is nothing like Balo.
 
I think Ekitke works regardless but let's see about Isak... all I heard so far is a lot of concessions this season for a player brought in for 130m about not being fit, club not using him well etc. His pressing so far is the worst I have seen of any striker player for us. Let's see but I don't see him being any different with or without Salah, he is out of excuses.

His pressing in 24/25 was only bettered by three strikers. As said, its no point comparing an unfit version of Isak or making up any mind about the transfer yet, imho.

Of centre-forwards, only Evanilson (24), Jackson (20) and Mateta (20) won possession in the final third in the Premier League more often than Isak (18).
 
His pressing in 24/25 was only bettered by three strikers. As said, its no point comparing an unfit version of Isak or making up any mind about the transfer yet, imho.

Of centre-forwards, only Evanilson (24), Jackson (20) and Mateta (20) won possession in the final third in the Premier League more often than Isak (18).
And why is so unfit? I think for 130m the amount of excuses he is being afforded is too much.
 
And why is so unfit? I think for 130m the amount of excuses he is being afforded is too much.

The transfer fee is irrelevant imho. Its weird that its supposedly more excusable to be unfit after no pre season if the fee was 20 mill.
 
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