FITNESS FLOP: ALEXANDER ISAK MUST LEARN FROM WOLTEMADE, SAYS DANNY MILLS
Pundit Danny Mills says Alexander Isak's poor Liverpool start is his own fault after his £125m move. But he backs the striker to come good despite his struggles.
Danny Mills has a pretty strong view on why Alexander Isak is struggling at Liverpool after his big transfer from Newcastle.
The former England and Leeds United defender thinks Isak's slow start is on him, mainly because he missed preseason training.
Isak moved to Liverpool for a whopping £125 million this summer, but he hasn't scored yet in the Premier League or Champions League.
Apparently, he pushed hard to leave Newcastle, and now he's trying to catch up with his fitness.
Mills understands how missing pre-season can mess with a player, but he still believes Isak will do well at Liverpool.
Mills told BetWright, It's tough to see how much not having a preseason has hurt Alexander Isak.
It might have been his choice, but either way, he's not ready for games and is behind everyone else.
Then there are other things, like moving, getting your family settled, and learning a new team and training style. It takes time to adjust.
Strikers need good passes, and when the team isn't doing well, it hurts their scoring. You have to look at the bigger picture. Also, teams might play more defensively against Liverpool, which makes it harder.
Isak is a great player, and he'll get there. Didier Drogba took a while to settle at Chelsea, and other top strikers have had slow starts too.
In contrast, Nick Woltemade, who replaced Isak at Newcastle, has scored six goals since joining from Stuttgart for £69 million. He has a total of 11 goals for his club and country this season.
Mills thinks Isak should watch Woltemade to see how to make an impact on a new team.
Mills added that, unlike Alexander Isak, Nick Woltemade joined a Newcastle team that was already working well, with a clear way of playing. He's looked sharp and scored some goals.
It's so important to start well, especially for a striker. Once you get that first league goal, it's a huge relief, and people stop worrying about when your big signing will score.
When you're trying to catch up, you can try too hard, which makes things worse. Plus, Liverpool is under pressure as Premier League champions who are in bad form, so the whole situation gets tougher.
Woltemade doesn't have the same pressure as Isak, which is partly Isak's fault, but he can play more freely and relax, which has helped him start strong at Newcastle.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: EDDIE HOWE IDENTIFIES "CONFIDENCE" AS THE KEY TO FIXING NEWCASTLE’S AWAY FORM
Despite a nervy second half, Eddie Howe’s side clinched their second away win of the season. Read the full Turf Moor match report.
Eddie Howe’s team barely scraped by Burnley, grabbing only their second Premier League away win this season.
The Magpies jumped ahead quickly with a goal from Joelinton at Turf Moor. Soon after, Yoane Wissa, in his debut Premier League start for the club, made it 2-0. Josh Laurent then scored an awesome volley, cutting the lead in half. Newcastle clung to their lead until Bruno Guimaraes scored a third goal during stoppage time.
It wasn't a pretty game for Newcastle United on that cold night in Lancashire. They needed those three points, especially after that tough loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.
This win nudged Howe’s team into the top half of the Premier League, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United up next. But, let's be real, their play didn't exactly inspire confidence that they've turned things around away from home.
Eddie Howe shared his thoughts on Newcastle United’s win over Burnley. What’s the answer to their away game struggles? Howe thinks it boils down to ‘confidence.’
“I think we've been close before. I feel we're headed in the right direction when you look at how we’re playing, Howe said as he talked about his team’s showing.
“If you keep playing well, you’ll win. Manchester United is a good example. I don’t think we played badly, and we had chances to get more from the game. We didn't score, but we played well overall.
“I think we will win games because of the kind of play that we have, and that’s what happened. We're not feeling super confident right now, which is clear.
“But, I think it’s mostly a confidence thing. And the only way to fix that is to win the next game.”
Howe said this: “It was a huge win for us. I don't think it matters how we got it. We just needed to get it.
“We started really strong, knowing how crucial this game was. I can’t say enough about how the players fought through it.
“That second half was significant for us. We had to make it.
“I give the players credit for finishing the game and showing the team's character.”
Newcastle United now has a few days to chill after the win at Turf Moor before heading back to Tyneside for four home games in a row. First up is Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. After that, they’re up against Daniel Farke’s Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, January 7.
Then, they’ve got two cup games against Premier League teams. They’re hosting Bournemouth in the FA Cup and then playing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
EDDIE HOWE ADDRESSES ALAN SHEARER’S COMMENTS BEFORE TONIGHT’S MAJOR KICKOFF AT BURNLEY
Alan Shearer sets a massive challenge for Newcastle United: win the next four games to ignite their 2026 Premier League campaign.
Before tonight's game against Burnley, Alan Shearer told Newcastle United what he wants to see in the next month.
Newcastle is currently 14th in the Premier League, which isn't good enough, but there's still a lot of the season left.
Even though Eddie Howe isn't in danger of losing his job, people are still worried about how the team is playing.
Another loss at Burnley on Tuesday would really increase the pressure. Alan Shearer thinks this game could be the start of something better.
Newcastle United Needs to Win Their Next Four Games
On Match of the Day, the Newcastle United legend sounded positive about the team's next few games and & thinks this could turn their season around.
He said, Yes, this could change things. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Fulham would get demoted, but they've won three straight games, and & now they're in the top half.
Newcastle needs to do that. Their next four games are against Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. They have a good chance to win some.
These four league games are part of a busy January for Newcastle, with important Champions League matches against PSV Eindhoven and PSG and an FA Cup game against Bournemouth, as well as the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Man City.
This period of games could really make or break Newcastle's season.
He should stay until the end of the season so everyone can make a better decision instead of rushing into anything. Hopefully, there will be more choices to replace him by the summer.
Where Newcastle Could Be If They Win
Let's say Newcastle wins all four of their games. It might happen, but those 12 points might just push Newcastle to just outside the top five or six in the league.
Aston Villa could get no points during that time and still be ahead of Newcastle before they play each other at the end of January. That shows how far apart Newcastle and Aston Villa are this season.
Still, getting to 35 points before the end of next month would really help Newcastle. The teams above them will probably also get points, so Newcastle might not move up the table much, but it's important for them to catch up to their rivals soon.