ARNE SLOT waited at least four months to sign Alexander Isak – then left him out of his squad at the first available opportunity.
After watching his side’s mainly turgid performance at Turf Moor he is bound to have been deeply regretting his show of extreme caution with the £130M signing.
For even if he is not quite up to speed and only arrived at Liverpool’s training ground to start his new career on Thursday, the former Newcastle United striker would surely have added some star quality to a mainly turgid display.
And yet the Anfield boss still got away with it thanks to Mo Salah, whose only meaningful kick of the game came from the spot five minutes into time added on.
Hannibal Mejbri ruined almost all of Burnley’s stoic resistance by raising his arm to deflect Jeremie Frimpong’s shot – by which time Scott Parker’s side were down to ten men following the 85th minute second – yellow departure of Lesley Ugochukwa.
The sub knew his actions came from a moment of madness and looked completely distraught.
Almost certainly as Salah strike hit high up in the net, Slot will have known that he was very, very lucky indeed to leave with all the points.
He had stressed before kick – off :”We’ve decided it is the best for him to have a proper week of training instead of every time going for five or 10 minutes of playing.
“I can assure the fans that he will be involved on Wednesday [against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League] – but this game came a bit too early.”
Yet as a British record capture, lauded by Slot as “probably the best striker in the world”, and with 16 midweek minutes behind him with Sweden, there would have been only marginal risk in at least having him on the bench.
Not only as a potential threat to Burnley, but to his new team mates who spent so much of this game flattering to deceive.
It took fully forty minutes for anyone in an all – green away kit to show any kind of real invention – at least in a legal sense.
Milos Kerkez did try to get clever mid – way through the first half, but that was a dive under pressure from Josh Laurent and he got a booking for what was a pathetic attempt at winning a spot kick.
But Hugo Ekitike at least got a few Liverpool bums off seats when he went solo into the box, got himself between two defenders and just failed with a fine effort at scoring off the far post.
For the rest of the time before the break Slot’s players kept throwing themselves at a Claret wall.
They had 82% possession, the home side sat into their 5 – 4 – 1 mindset, and were never in a panic.
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had only one save to make before half time.
And that was a gimme, just before Ekitike’s attempt, delivered by Andy Robertson who had replaced Kerkez, Slot worried the £40M signing who had taken the Scot’s automatic place at left back might get himself a red.
Slot had to make changes to get some sort of reaction and introduced Conor Bradley for Alexis Mac Allister – whacked on the shin 15 minutes in by Lesley Ugochukwu and quite lucky to escape with only a booking.
That alteration allowed midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai to move from his fill-in position at right back into his normal attacking midfield role.
Right away Liverpool looked better, Ryan Gravenberch delivering a strike that dipped just over the bar.
Szoboszlai, now back on familiar territory then sized up Dubravka with a shot straight at him before a cpuple of minute later delivering a howitzer that tested the goalkeeper’s agility to the hilt.
Meanwhile Florian Wirtz, a virtual bystander for almost an hour, suddenly displayed the kind of class you are supposed to get for £100M.
The German waltzed into the box before sending a fine shot skittering just wide of Dubravka’s left hand post.
His turn to feed Ekitike’s run into the box was sublime – although not before time given this was his fourth appearance since the so – called wizard’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
As Slot tried desperately to give his side new attacking options he sent on Federico Chiesa for Ekitike in the 72nd minute.
Seconds later Robertson delivered a signature cross into the box – and the Italian, unmarked and a dozen yards ou, headed the best chance of the game wide.
The Liverpool manager can only have imagined what Isak, even if not fully match – fit would have done with that.
In the end, with Burnley looking certain to hold out, Liverpool got away with a seventh straight win at Turf Moor, one they barely deserved.
But one that will have left the Anfield boss a very relieved man indeed.
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