Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has backed Alexander Isak, who has been criticised for a lack of involvement in play despite his prolific scoring. The Englishman also praised the progress of youngsters Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha and called for head coach Andoni Iraola to be given more time.
Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Arsenal. After losing 1-0 to Arsenal, Iraola's side were beaten 3-2 by Fenerbahce in the Champions League.
Amid the team's inconsistent results, Heskey spoke to Eldorado about their form and key players.
“Don't criticise someone who is scoring”
Alexander Isak has scored six goals in eight Premier League matches, but he is often criticised for his low number of touches and lack of involvement in build-up play.
Heskey believes the Swede is gradually regaining his fitness and is right to focus on finishing his chances for now.
I think he can do both. But right now he's finding his game again, focusing first and foremost on goals.
He's a fantastic footballer. We've seen how he can beat opponents and hold the ball up — he can do just about everything. He's started scoring again now. Goals don't come easily, so you shouldn't criticise someone who has finally found his confidence in front of goal.
Heskey believes Isak will become more prominent in other aspects of his game as his fitness improves.
I wouldn't say the goals give him an advantage, but they definitely give him confidence. When he's fully fit, that will help even more because he'll be able to do more.
He'll become more involved in the game. You can see he wants to do a lot, but his body probably isn't allowing him to yet.
So the fitter he gets, the more we'll see from him. The main thing is that he keeps scoring. Goals always give a footballer extra time, don't they? As long as he's scoring, everything will be fine.
“Trey Nyoni plays like a 30-year-old”
Heskey also singled out two Liverpool academy graduates whom Iraola has trusted this season.
Trey Nyoni, 19, has already made 12 appearances and scored his first Champions League goal against Fenerbahce. Rio Ngumoha, 18, has made 13 appearances and provided two assists.
Heskey is particularly impressed by Nyoni's maturity.
It's very important for young lads to break into the first team. They need to be given a chance. Ultimately, if a player is good enough, he's old enough.
Look at Trey Nyoni and how he controls the game in midfield. He plays like a 30-year-old. His experience and understanding of football — it's all remarkable for such a young lad.
I watched him at Leicester when I was doing a bit of coaching. I saw him at 16 and he was already like that. He just needs a little more time. He's developing really well and it'll be interesting to see what kind of player he becomes.
Ngumoha has impressed the former striker just as much, with the youngster gradually increasing competition on the attacking flanks.
Rio is brilliant. He's putting real pressure on the more experienced players in his position, competing for a starting place and regular game time.
Every time he comes on, he plays brilliantly. He's direct, he knows what he wants to do and he does it.
Previously, the only thing I could have criticised him for was a lack of end product. He did a lot of things well, but where was the end product?
Now he's showing that he can do that too. He's providing assists and knows how to find team-mates with an accurate pass.
Heskey calls for Iraola to be given time
Despite the nine-point gap to Arsenal, Heskey believes it is too early to draw firm conclusions about Liverpool's prospects.
Andoni Iraola needs a little more time to work with the players. They need to understand his philosophy and style of play better.
As for the young players, he's doing a great job of bringing them into the first team.
He just needs a little more time. But he has to understand that Liverpool must compete for trophies. We have to challenge to win the cup competitions and fight for the Premier League title.
Liverpool face Crystal Palace in their next league fixture. A win could take them back into the top four, depending on Chelsea's result.
