Not on Same Wavelength Yet: Wirtz and Isak Partnership Needs Development

The assessment that Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak “are not on the same wavelength” highlighted a crucial partnership that must develop if Liverpool are to maximize their expensive investments. The German playmaker and Swedish striker need to build understanding and timing, but currently their movements and decision-making often don’t align.
Partnerships between creative midfielders and strikers require telepathic understanding developed through playing time together. The playmaker must anticipate the striker’s movements, the striker must recognize when and where passes will arrive, and both must understand each other’s preferred patterns instinctively. Wirtz and Isak haven’t yet reached this level.
The lack of wavelength shows in mistimed runs, passes to spaces strikers don’t occupy, and movements that congest rather than create space. Against West Ham, Isak’s goal came from Cody Gakpo’s assist rather than Wirtz’s, highlighting that the German’s most effective combinations currently come with the Dutch forward instead.
Developing this understanding requires patience and persistence. Some partnerships click immediately, others need months of playing together before reaching their potential. Given both players are adapting to new circumstances—Wirtz to English football, Isak to Liverpool—simultaneous adaptation may slow partnership development compared to situations where one player already knows the environment.
Arne Slot must decide whether to persist with Wirtz-Isak combinations despite current limitations or whether to emphasize partnerships that already function better, like Wirtz-Gakpo. The former offers long-term benefits if successful but risks short-term struggles; the latter provides immediate functionality but may limit future potential. For now, Liverpool need whatever works, meaning Wirtz-Gakpo might receive preference until Wirtz-Isak develops the wavelength currently lacking.