Liverpool chaos, Hugo Ekitike debut proves Alexander Isak would be luxury signing

Liverpool showed us everything that could win them the Premier League title and everything that could cost them the Premier League title on matchday one against Bournemouth.

It was a superb, fast-paced opening night at Anfield, but the return of the Premier League — on an emotional evening when tributes were paid to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva — was unfortunately overshadowed by an alleged racist abuse of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. Thirty minutes into a new season. FFS. We won’t let that vile incident dominate here, but we refuse to ignore it.

Semenyo ended up making the biggest impact of any Bournemouth player in their dramatic 4-2 defeat, scoring twice in a way that underlined a glaring weakness in Liverpool’s Slot machine.

READ MORE: Arne Slot under huge pressure at Liverpool after a transfer window which has flattered to deceive

Alexander Isak would make Liverpool better — no doubt about that — but their only weakness is clearly at the back. Ibrahima Konate, described as “absolutely shocking” by Jamie Carragher, was just that. For Semenyo’s second, his ‘defending’ was baffling. Marc Guehi might just be a more important signing than Newcastle’s wantaway striker.

In fairness to Konate, he and Virgil van Dijk were often left in what amounted to a back two, with no Ryan Gravenberch to add a calming presence and protect Arne Slot’s two exposed centre-backs. Slot brought control to guide Liverpool to the title last term, yet this was a level of chaos that even Jurgen Klopp’s heavy-metal approach was never capable of.

And yes, there’s plenty to praise in such an adventurous approach. With Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah up front, Liverpool can outscore anyone. That’s enough firepower, right?

Friday night proved that Isak would be a luxury signing for a team with such obvious defensive issues. The problem isn’t who’s up top — it’s the yawning spaces going the other way when the midfield and full-backs surge forward and leave the centre-backs isolated.

Bournemouth had their way on the break. Ex-Cherries man Milos Kerkez was targeted and exposed at left-back. When Slot replaced him and Jeremie Frimpong, the Cherries simply switched their attention to makeshift right-back Wataru Endo. Four minutes after his introduction, Semenyo halved the deficit from his side’s cross. Eight minutes later, Joe Gomez was on and Endo moved into midfield — only for Bournemouth to equalise from another rapid transition. At that point, it felt like anything could happen. One thing felt certain: there was another goal in the game.

An unexpected hero in Federico Chiesa stepped up before Salah secured the points for the champions. But the real hero for Liverpool was Ekitike — a superb debut that emphasised his unique skillset. Kerkez was poor, Frimpong quiet, and Wirtz underwhelming. The German found the right spaces but lacked the final ball to match his awareness.

It really was a tale of two transfer windows: Bournemouth lost four of their back five and signed only three new players. Liverpool have spent record-breaking money, still want one of the best strikers in the world, and appear to have decided that chaos is the best ingredient for retaining their crown. We knew they’d be fun; this was something else entirely.

Their fearless style will terrify opponents, but it should also encourage them. From Sunderland to Chelsea, there will be chances for anyone at Anfield — as long as they take them while Van Dijk and Konate are left scrambling in their own third.

We’re fairly confident that costly points will be dropped if Slot continues to veer towards an attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence approach. Isak only adds to that. Their transfer priorities feel a little tangled. Ekitike has earned praise for an impressive debut and is another compelling reason why Isak would be a luxury addition.

At the end of the day, we don’t mind it — because that was a bloody fantastic game. Signing a centre-back instead of Isak would make far more sense for Liverpool’s title defence. But if it’s pure entertainment they’re chasing, then by all means, make the Isak signing and let the chaos roll on.