Alexander Isak on Goals, Gakpo and Liverpool's Trophy Ambitions
Alexander Isak joins The Football Interview to discuss his start at Liverpool, working under the club's new manager, his growing partnership with Cody Gakpo and the ambitions driving the Reds this season. Follow more on the BBC Sport app, iPlayer and Sounds. ============= Find us here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBCMOTD X: https://x.com/BBCMOTD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcfootball/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bbcsport bbcfootball
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For you personally, I think was it 23 goals was your best return at Newcastle? Is that right? >> Mhm. >> Have you set yourself a target for this year? >> Nope. >> Do you set targets? >> Nope. >> You just want to score as many as possible. >> Just want to score. Some like to set targets, some some don't. I'm the one that don't. >> Today's interview is with the Swedish striker whose career has taken him across Europe ending up in England with Newcastle and now Liverpool. He's the joint Premier League record signing. Welcome along to the Football Interview, Alexander Isak. How do you feel in terms of physically, mentally, where you are at the moment? >> No, I feel good. I feel good. Um, I feel like I'm in a good place. The team is in a good place and I think the positive is it still like it's it's things are getting better and better which makes me and the rest feel confident, you know, going forward. >> You've got a new manager as well, so it must really feel like a fresh start for everyone around here. What's Andoni Iraola done for you though specifically? >> The high intensity, style of play will benefit me, will benefit the club and, you know, the way the club wants to play football. >> And I ask him a lot of things. He has to help the team overall and we know that he's on the pitch, he's fit, he's in a good shape like he's today, he's going to make the numbers no matter most of my demands with him is not going to be about the goals. >> He asks me to you obviously to be part of the defending but to defend positions where when we win the ball we can counter quickly and you know, get the ball forward to the to the offensive line. >> That's interesting because normally a manager would ask the striker to score goals, but the fact that you said straight away about defending, is that what he wants to do, make your all-round game better? >> No, no, so you said score goals, but like he he wants me to be to defend like the way we defend, we defend to score goals, so the defending is an attacking weapon. >> Alexander Isak is an established Premier League striker, but as we see this graphic from today's game, they just can't work out how to use him, how to link up with him. You see that there in the passage of play. It's just not happening, and for him to only have 14 touches. >> It It felt like, and the numbers would suggest, there was there was a bit more of that against Ipswich last night. >> Well, it certainly was. We've got a lot of good attacking creative players, and should be able to get get in the ball more often, and >> [cheering] >> hopefully he's just going to go on and on and keep scoring. >> I also noticed, particularly with your goals against Ipswich, it looked like the team got the ball to you really quickly. I remember when I think back to some of your best moments at Newcastle, the team were playing getting the ball to you quickly. Is Is that what you need to be at your best to score goals? >> Yeah, I think that's what the team needs. And it's it's not just about getting the ball to me, it's about getting the ball forward, getting the ball to to all of the offensive players quickly, I think. If we can do that, then we should we should score more goals. >> Talk to me about this relationship with Cody Gakpo, cuz it looks like I know you've known him for a season, but it looks like it's a pretty special. >> Definitely been successful so far. He's very versatile. Yeah. He can do most things on a pitch. He's comfortable out wide, but he's also comfortable coming deep and receiving the ball. And yeah, as we've seen, he's delivering. He's He's really good as well. >> I wanted to take you back and kind of reflect over the last year when you made the big move. Were there ever points last season where you thought, "Oh gosh, maybe maybe it wasn't the right the right move." Or or did you always have faith that eventually, cuz I know you suffered with injuries as well. It just felt like you had no luck last season at times. >> Yeah, but no, never. I would never think like that. >> When you look back on that, how tough was that period for you? >> I don't really look back on it, to be fair, cuz yeah, I've I've said before it was obviously it was tough. It's anyone who would or who had a long injury would know. Um but when you're in a good place and when you feel good, you don't really tend to look back cuz it doesn't really benefit you. Um so yeah. Um I'm just looking forward and feel really optimistic and you know, excited about this season and what what it can bring to us. >> [music] >> Where did the love of football come from? >> For me, [music] it came from the the streets, in the school, free time, always playing football. >> At what point did you think, "Okay, I could make it here?" >> Probably around 15. >> Where were you at that point in your kind of football career? >> Um I was in my local club, AIK. I think I was under 19s, training with the first team sometimes. >> You had quite a lot of success quite young there, didn't you? Feels like there was quite a lot of eyes on you from quite a young age. >> I think yeah, my breakthrough in Swedish in Sweden was very early. You know, I was really young. >> Did you always have aspirations to maybe end up in the Premier League? >> Yeah, as a as a part of the journey, for sure. I always wanted to play like Premier League, but I always wanted to play in Spain, as well, which which obviously I did for for 3 years. >> What was the experience like in Spain because it feels like that was where the world really started to get to know about Alexander Isak. >> I grew up watching a lot of Spanish football. So, playing there was really nice and obviously my first like big um break through, I would say, was there. >> Has that influenced how you play? And it must be quite nice to have a Spanish manager here now for you, as well. Do you like that? >> Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I recognize a lot of the daily work methods and training sessions. I recognize a lot of those things from from my time in Spain. >> The World Cup, how was that for you? Cuz I know you played in the but your first World Cup in the summer. Did that come at a really good time for you because it enabled you to kind of have a focus towards the end of last season? >> Yeah, for sure. For sure. Um like yeah, with the injuries last season, the World Cup was perfect to like I can play and and you know, gain rhythm and form. And on top of that, obviously, it being a massive experience, you know, playing for your country in in a World Cup is yeah, I think a dream of of most people. It was just brilliant. >> And Graham Potter as well, the manager. Someone that Premier League fans will know very well. What's What's he like to work for in on the national stage? >> No, really good. Yeah, obviously, he's English, but he has a really good connection with with Sweden as well. He even speaks Swedish, which is uh >> Is he good? Is he any good at it? >> Yeah, for sure. Yeah, he speaks He speaks really well. It's a very rare, I would say. Um I think he's been brilliant so far. Um I'm really appreciated by Ron's squad. >> What would a successful season look like for Liverpool this year? >> Everyone knows successful for this club is winning trophies. >> Multiple? >> Yeah, of course. Winning Winning one trophy would also be a success. Um but yeah, trophies is successful for a club this big, yeah. >> And for you personally, I think Was it 23 goals was your best return at Newcastle? Is that right? >> Mhm. >> Have you set yourself a target for this year? >> Nope. >> Do you set targets? >> Nope. >> You just want to score as many as possible. >> Yeah. Just want to score. Like I want to score every game, obviously. >> But with how you're feeling now, do you back yourself to exceed that this season? >> We'll see. Everyone is different. Some like to set targets, some some don't. I'm the one that don't. >> And finally, finish this sentence for me. When I finish football, I will >> I will chill out. >> [laughter] >> Which fits in nicely with the chill. >> what I think that's what everyone says, and then they end up becoming coaches or whatever. So >> So you think you'll probably end up becoming a coach? >> I don't know. I don't see myself being a coach, but Yeah, it's what you feel now is probably different to when you're 40 or whatever. >> Yeah, and you've got you've got a few years in you yet. Um Alex, [music] thank you so much for speaking to us today. >> Thank you.