Manager says Liverpool in “much better place”; Alexander Isak set for return
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has named his reasons for his side’s improvements over the past two months.
The champions struggled last autumn, losing nine out of 12 games but have had a resurgence since the run up to Christmas and the turn of the new year.
“We’ve improved compared to three or four months ago,” said Slot. “I would even include the Bournemouth game because, apart from the goals we conceded, we had total control with dominance, we had a lot of chances. And the same could be said in the second half about [Manchester] City.
“We’re in a much better place now than we were months ago and there are two very simple reasons for that.
“[There are more reasons] but the most simple two are how fit we are now compared with three or four months ago, and the second one is that we are much better in set-pieces at the moment.”
Record signing Alexander Isak has been injured since a broken leg against Tottenham in December, but Slot announced the Swede is now close to a comeback.
An update on when Alexander Isak could potentially return from injury:
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 19, 2026
“It will be somewhere around there and then [March],” said Slot. “It’s always the question if things go really well or if he gets a little bit of a setback. So, it will be around that period of time, end of March, start of April when he’s hopefully back with the group.
“When you’re back with the group it’s not to say that you are ready to play, let alone start, a game of football because, again, he’s been out for months and the last time he’s been out for months I think we could all see that it took him a while before he was the player we have signed from Newcastle.”
