A lot of Newcastle United players are running on fumes right now, including Alexander Isak.
The 24-year-old has started five consecutive games for the Magpies, despite only just recovering from a groin injury.
The Newcastle forward has had to start every game since his return amid Callum Wilson’s absence, with the number nine struggling with a hamstring injury. But he is back now, and is hoping to start against AC Milan in the Champions League.
It remains unclear who Eddie Howe will pick to lead the line, but Alexander Isak has to be the favourite. He is the top scorer so far this season, and has started every Champions League game that he has been available for.
But he does not appear to be at his sharpest right now, and missed a golden opportunity to score against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
Howe does at least have the option to change things, which is a huge boost given how tired his players look. Isak falls into that category, and TalkSPORT pundit Alan Brazil believes there is ‘something wrong’ with the Sweden international.
Alan Brazil thinks there is something wrong with Alexander Isak
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Wednesday morning (6:44am), Alan Brazil expressed concern over Alexander Isak after watching him struggle during the defeat to Spurs.
“I must admit, I don’t want to take anything away from Spurs, because we know what Ange [Postecoglou] is like, but I was really disappointed with Newcastle,” he said.
“They looked really shattered all over the pitch.
“And for me there’s something wrong with [Alexander] Isak, I don’t know what it is but there’s something not right with him at the moment.”
Newcastle striker has been inconsistent since his return from injury
Isak’s form has certainly been mixed since he returned from injury. He has scored two goals, netting the opener against Chelsea and grabbing what should have been the winner against Paris Saint-Germain. He was also impressive during the victory over Manchester United.
However, he has been poor in our last two games, which has been true of Newcastle United as a whole.
It looks like he is playing within himself, but that should hopefully change now that Wilson is back to fitness.
The pair push each other to be better, while it also means that Howe can rotate his strikers rather than ask Isak to play every minute.
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