To the folks worried that Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are too similar and would not be able to play together for Liverpool FC in the same match, having watched a fair bit of Ekitike, I want to say a little something about this.
While it’s true that on the face of it, they like to occupy similar positions in terms of the way they tend to play, insofar as they both like to peel out to the left, Ekitike loves to come deeper to run at defenders and create for himself or for others running into the box. While it’s true that a lot of this is by design as he is given license to take up these positions in the Eintracht Frankfurt team (mostly counter-attacking based) structure, it’s also his tendency as a player.
Isak can obviously drop deep and assist in the buildup but he doesn’t tend to do it as much with Newcastle United, where his effectiveness is maximised by conserving his energy and keeping him in the areas where he is most dangerous, just like Salah. So, it is very likely that if we have both players, Isak will be assuming much more advanced positions while Ekitike can come hunting for the ball on the left side.
Ekitike is not half the box presence that Isak is, but in terms of being able to progress the ball and carry through the lines continuously throughout the game, he is already a pretty much elite option. Ekitike is a very willing runner, and he is already a very decent presser who is willing and able to do the hard miles every game, something that Isak will probably not be expected to do to a high intensity.
In terms of overall style, while the two of them are both tall, technically excellent and dribble type players who can pass, drift out wide, come short, take their man on or create in one on one situations, Isak is a much more refined and efficient player, but Ekitike is a much rawer and more ‘street football’ style of player, a little bit like Darwin Nunez in unpredictability, but also a little bit like Bobby Firmino in terms of spur of the moment, instinctive ingenuity.
He tries little flicks and moments of improvisation that 99% of other players simply wouldn’t attempt, and when they come off, usually in very tight spaces, they create windows of opportunity out of nothing. This is such a valuable skill in today’s game, since so many teams use a thoroughly drilled man to man press and players who can win one on ones to create chaos on the field are the most valuable assets around.
Isak by comparison is a ‘safer’ player, he does more with less touches of the ball because he tends to maximize his use of it. His near flawless technique makes him effective in that way. Given all this, I think we can imagine Isak as the finisher and the goalscorer in the team with his movement mostly limited to an area where he can do the most damage, and Ekitike as the maverick utilising his creativity in deeper, wider areas rather than being positioned as a goalscorer or poacher.