The international break has been a mixed bag for Liverpool’s players, who joined their national teams on the back of three consecutive losses. The first round of World Cup qualifiers have seen both highs and lows for several of the Premier League champions’ stars.
Ibrahima Konate and Hugo Ekitike of France secured a solid 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan, while Florian Wirtz aided Germany in a comfortable 4-0 win against Luxembourg. Mohamed Salah netted twice in Egypt’s 3-0 triumph over Djibouti, securing his nation’s place in next year’s competition.
However, it wasn’t all wins for the Reds’ representatives. Alexander Isak’s Sweden suffered a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland, and Kostas Tsimikas, currently on loan at Roma, scored in his side’s 3-1 loss to Scotland, led by Andy Robertson.
Liverpool’s record signing had a difficult night, still yet to score a league goal for his new club. Meanwhile, Conor Bradley’s standout performance against Slovakia was somewhat marred by a recurring issue. Echo Sport provides updates on all the latest news concerning Liverpool’s international stars.
The 26-year-old striker made his first start for Sweden since joining Liverpool last month but it was a forgettable one as their loss to Switzerland left them languishing at the bottom of Group B with just a single point.
Partnering Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres up front, Sweden boasted a formidable attacking duo, yet neither striker could find their rhythm as their failure to inspire the nation to triumph drew sharp criticism from the Swedish press.
Both forwards managed zero shots on target across the full 90 minutes, though Isak – wearing the captain’s armband for the first time – struck the woodwork in the opening period after squandering a golden opportunity from close range.
Fotbollskanalen delivered a harsh 2/5 assessment of Isak’s display, noting: “Missed a huge chance when the ball hit the post. Nice run when he got free and selflessly passed to Bergvall and should have gotten an assist.” The criticism intensified further as Svenska Fans proved even more damning in their verdict.
They awarded the striker a brutal 1/5 rating, with their unforgiving review stating: “Today’s team captain. Ran on many balls. Had a shot in the post that was worth a better fate. Then won a duel and then came free at the end of the first act. However, did not succeed very often with his actions.”
Isak’s Anfield journey has yet to truly ignite, with the forward managing just one goal across six club outings, though he’ll get the chance to silence his critics when Sweden welcome Kosovo on Monday.
Conor Bradley has been showered with praise following his standout performance in Northern Ireland’s 2-0 triumph over Slovakia on Friday. The Liverpool defender played for 92 minutes at Windsor Park, completing the most dribbles (five) and winning the most duels (14), helping to propel his country to second place in Group A.
However, the 22-year-old national team captain will be feeling a touch of disappointment as his late yellow card means he’ll be sitting out their Monday night face-off against group leaders, Germany.
This latest booking brings his tally to seven in just 12 appearances for both club and country this season – a worrying disciplinary record less than three months into the season.
His propensity for picking up yellow cards has impacted his playing time this season, with only three league starts under his belt. After receiving a first-half booking in last week’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, Bradley was substituted at half-time by Florian Wirtz, with Arne Slot unwilling to risk his full-back being sent off.
The right-back position has posed a challenge for Slot, with summer recruit Jeremie Frimpong still finding his feet. The 24-year-old has clocked just 79 minutes of league play this season, but his versatility undoubtedly makes him a valuable member of the squad.
Having featured as a wing-back throughout much of his Bayer Leverkusen stint, the Dutch international is equally capable of operating as a winger – the role he occupied during the Reds’ 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray.
It was on the right flank where he was deployed in the Netherlands’ 4-0 thrashing of Malta on Thursday, though his display divided observers. Despite recording the highest number of successful dribbles in the fixture (6/7), registering the most touches in the opposition penalty area (13), and prevailing in 72.7% of his duels (8/11), Dutch publication De Telegraaf remained sceptical of Frimpong’s contribution.
The outlet’s match analysis stated: “His first crosses went generously over the penalty area. He doesn’t have a great cross and is also far too hasty for a winger. After a good move, he often doesn’t know how to follow through.”
National team manager Ronald Koeman clearly disagreed with that evaluation, telling Voetal International: “I thought Frimpong was a real threat. There wasn’t always danger coming from the right wing, which means Denzel has to get inside more. That’s improving all the time.”
The former Everton and Southampton chief continued: “Donyell Malen might have been pushing inside a bit more than Frimpong. We can work on that, and we absolutely must, but yeah…it’s going well.”
