Alexander Isak was left out of Sweden’s World Cup playoff squad, a development that confirmed the cautious stance Liverpool have taken over the striker’s comeback. The Sweden omission followed suggestions from his international manager Graham Potter that the playoffs could represent a potential return window, but Potter’s squad for the clash with Ukraine did not include Isak.

Potter accepted the limits of the situation. “There’s nothing we can do about it,” the former Chelsea manager lamented. “It’s sad to lose players due to injuries, it’s like that for all teams.” He added: “But we have a very good group, I believe in the squad and am sure that together we can find good solutions and focus on our task.” Sweden can call upon Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres in Isak’s absence and must beat Ukraine and then the winner of Poland’s semifinal with Albania to reach the 2026 World Cup.

Liverpool’s Arne Slot has repeatedly resisted setting a return date for the club’s record signing and was relieved by the international decision. The club remain focused on a Saturday lunchtime trip to Brighton which will be without Isak.

There was optimism when Isak was seen in an individual session with Liverpool this week, swapping running shoes for boots and getting a feel for the ball. Slot was quick to temper that enthusiasm. “As long as you don’t train with the team yet, you are not ready to play,” Liverpool’s head coach sternly warned, definitively ruling Isak out of any fixtures until April at the earliest.

Slot also stressed the graduated nature of the return. “And as we all know, if you’ve done for months only individual sessions, it’s also quite a step up to train with the team, and when you train with the team it’s quite a step up to play at Premier League intensity or Champions League intensity,” he said.

Those concerns are heightened by a demanding schedule. After Brighton the Reds face Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in a compact period that includes FA Cup and Champions League quarterfinals, plus a Merseyside derby at Everton’s new home before the end of April. With Hugo Ekitiké’s minutes limited, having the option of introducing Isak late in matches could still prove valuable once he is fully ready.

Mohamed Salah became the first African player to score 50 UEFA Champions League goals on Wednesday, a milestone that underpinned Liverpool’s progression to the quarterfinals.

The total places him joint 10th on the competition’s all-time list, level with Harry Kane and Thierry Henry. The vast majority of those strikes have come since his arrival at Liverpool in 2017. Two came for Basel and one for Roma. He made only two Champions League appearances at Chelsea and failed to score there.

Salah’s most prolific Champions League campaign was 2017–18, when he scored 10 times as Liverpool reached the final in Kyiv, losing to Real Madrid after he was forced off with a shoulder injury following a controversial early clash with Sergio Ramos.

After a remarkable 2024–25 season, his form has been more ordinary at times. A limited return in October and November resulted in him being dropped, but he produced a decisive performance on Wednesday. Even after an early setback when his penalty was saved, he continued to influence the match; Ekitiké was grateful for the assist, calling his veteran teammate a “legend,” while manager Arne Slot emphasised his mental qualities.

“It says a lot about him after you miss the penalty just before half time. That can sometimes be hard for an individual or for a team,” Slot commented afterwards.

“So, he assisted the first to Hugo, great assist, and then scored a trademark goal, I think, which he scored many of, in this stadium for this club, coming inside, finding the top corner. So, that tells you a lot about his mental strength.”

Salah has failed to start only one of 14 Liverpool fixtures since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January. That single absence was the weekend’s 1–1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, a deliberate decision to rest him three days before Galatasaray’s visit. “Injury-wise, he was asking for a substitution, not because he thought he had scored enough, but that he felt something, so let’s see where he is for the weekend.”

With Liverpool due to meet Paris Saint-Germain at least twice more this season, Salah can add to his tally. The next inactive players ahead of him are Ruud van Nistelrooy (56) and Thomas Müller (57), with a larger gap to Raúl on 71. Active players nearby include Erling Haaland (57) and Kylian Mbappé (68).

A run of unsettling reports has placed intense scrutiny on Arne Slot’s position at Liverpool, with Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Galatasaray framed as a potential turning point. The Reds travel to the tie trailing 1–0 on aggregate and return to Anfield needing to overturn that deficit.

The line of argument running through recent coverage assumes Slot holds the same reservoir of goodwill at the club as his predecessor. While both men share the same tally of Premier League titles, the German’s teams were celebrated as much for their high-energy style as their trophies. Slot himself has conceded this iteration of the team are “boring.” Supporters made their displeasure heard with boos after Sunday’s 1–1 draw with relegation-battling Tottenham Hotspur.

At present Slot is not thought to be in immediate danger of being sacked. Still, The Athletic’s James Pearce warned he must “turn this around” and that “the clocking is ticking” on finding a solution. Those alarm bells could start ringing as soon as Wednesday night.

Liverpool created a notable number of chances in Istanbul, a fact that offers hope of a comeback, but chronic defensive problems continue to compromise any sense of security at the back. Slot reportedly retains the faith of the club hierarchy, yet The Athletic’s Simon Hughes warned “it will be really, really hard for Slot to rescue back that trust” should Liverpool again exit in the round of 16.

Slot’s appointment as Liverpool’s “head coach” in the summer of 2024 coincided with the arrival of Richard Hughes as sporting director. The pair presided over the largest single-window spend by any club last summer. Hughes has been linked with a role at Al Hilal, according to The Telegraph, though no official contact is thought to have been made. Both Slot and Hughes have contracts running until 2027.

The potential loss of a close ally would only weaken Slot’s standing. Meanwhile former players continue to offer forthright assessments; Jamie Carragher labelled Liverpool a “team of individuals” after the Spurs draw. The Dutch coach has offered a different view, but the coming week will be decisive for perceptions of his stewardship.