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Amid the structural wreckage of a grim night at the ?ükrü Saraco?lu Stadium, silver linings were in painfully short supply for Andoni Iraola. Yet as Liverpool unravelled during a chaotic final 20 minutes in Istanbul conceding twice in six minutes to lose 3-2 against Dirk Kuyt’s Fenerbahçe their major summer investment provided at least one moment of genuine encouragement.
Just four minutes after entering the pitch as part of a high-powered second-half triple substitution, Alexander Isak rose to nod home Cody Gakpo’s pinpoint delivery, opening his Champions League account for the Reds and briefly restoring a 2-1 lead.
That the advantage evaporated so rapidly left traveling supporters reeling. Coming off the back of a frustrating domestic setback against Aston Villa on Sunday, fans could be forgiven for feeling anxious about the direction of travel under Iraola as the team prepares to head into another international break.
Speaking to LFCTV after the final whistle, however, Isak offered a strikingly calm perspective on a night that threatened to set off alarm bells back on Merseyside.
“I think we’ve put ourselves in good positions, so that, as today, if we lose games it’s not a chaos situation. We just need to get back to winning ways, and if we win the next game we’re back to a really good position.”
“I was happy with it at the time, I was hoping it was going to lead to more. I’m always happy to score goals but today we lost, so it takes a bit [away] from it.”
Isak’s header in Turkey did not just end his personal European drought; it highlighted the growing weight on the Swede’s shoulders. With fellow forward Hugo Ekitike sidelined due to injury, Iraola finds his center-forward options severely stretched at a crucial point in the season.
Ekitike’s absence places total faith in Isak to spearhead the attack, and despite a gradual integration following his blockbuster summer move from Newcastle United, the 27-year-old is quietly compiling an impressive underlying return.
| Competition | Appearances (Starts) | Goals | Assists | Minutes Per Goal |
| Premier League | 9 (5) | 4 | 1 | 124′ |
| UEFA Champions League | 4 (2) | 1 | 0 | 180′ |
| Carabao Cup | 2 (1) | 1 | 1 | 95′ |
| Total (All Competitions) | 15 (8) | 6 | 2 | 132′ |
Six goals across eight starts represent strong productivity for a striker adapting to Iraola’s high-intensity pressing system.With Ekitike out, Isak is no longer just a rotation luxury—he is Liverpool’s primary goal threat.
When Iraola turned to his bench on 65 minutes with the scores locked at 1-1, he unleashed his big guns. Off came the youth, on came Isak, Gakpo, and Florian Wirtz. Four minutes later, the move paid instant dividends. Gakpo clipped a delicate ball into the penalty area, and Isak timed his run to perfection, beating Ederson with a clinical header.
Yet the joy was short-lived. Structural failures at the back compounded by Archie Brown’s equaliser and Vedat Muriqi’s flying header turned what should have been a victory landmark into a reverse Istanbul post-mortem.
Isak’s assessment that Liverpool do not face a “chaos situation” relies on arithmetic. Before this week’s missteps, Iraola’s men built a solid foundation both domestically and in Europe, taking nine points from their opening three Champions League fixtures and holding firm in the top four of the Premier League.
However, fan sentiment rarely operates purely on spreadsheets. Supporters watching the defensive fragility in Turkey know that Selhurst Park has broken Liverpool momentum many times before. Pierre Sage’s Crystal Palace are fighting for their own survival, setting up an intense atmosphere in South London.
With Ekitike out, Iraola will lean heavily on Isak to lead the line on Sunday. If Liverpool secure three points at Palace,Isak’s calm prognosis will prove accurate: a minor wobble safely navigated before the international break. But drop points again, and no amount of pragmatic post-match quotes will prevent the noise around Iraola’s defensive system from growing deafening.
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