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Liverpool's Alexander Isak, top, scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot termed Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven’s tackle on Alexander Isak a reckless challenge in a Premier League match between the two sides last week. Van de Ven slid into Isak and trapped his shooting foot just after he’d shot and put Liverpool 1-0 ahead. Following the tackle that injured him, Isak will be laid up for two months with a broken ankle and fibula.
“It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months. It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us. This was, for me, a reckless challenge. I’ve said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons (who was sent off for dragging his studs down the calf of Virgil van Dijk in the same game) which for me was completely unintentional. I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that. But the tackle of (Micky) van de Ven (on Isak), if you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury,” Slot said.
Isak has had a snake-bitten season for Liverpool thus far, having just scored twice in the Premier League after his dramatic exit from Newcastle united in the summer. He also had a groin injury in October and had just getting up to speed.
“It’s been a really challenging and difficult period for him. Usually when you join a new club — he was very excited as well — you want to show all the qualities you have but that was simply impossible. Maybe no one understands but if you haven’t trained on a serious level for three or four months with the team and you are playing in this league you have to be on top of your game to impact a game of football,” Slot said.
“That took months because there was no preseason, just games, games, games and hardly any time to train. We all knew it would take him time and that’s why he is so unlucky he is now injured because we all saw with his goal against West Ham and with this goal (against Tottenham) he gets closer and closer to the player he was last season at Newcastle,” he added.
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