Michail Antonio says there’s one thing Slot “can’t” do as Liverpool boss faces “hard decision” | OneFootball

Michail Antonio has issued some words of advice to Arne Slot ahead of a hectic run of fixtures for Liverpool as their season truly takes flight over the next month.

The Reds went into the September international break as the only team with a 100% record in the Premier League, although they needed late winning goals in each of their three top-flight matches so far, two of which saw them relinquish two-goal leads before snatching victory.

While the team’s defending has come under scrutiny, the attack has become even more fearsome with the arrivals of two top-class centre-forwards in Hugo Ekitike (three goals in four games so far) and Alexander Isak (a British record £125m signing from Newcastle).

Antonio urges Slot not to jettison Ekitike

Speaking to TNT Sports, Antonio voiced his concerns that the blockbuster signing of the Swedish striker could have implications not just for his French teammate, but also the rest of Liverpool’s forward line as Slot wrestles with which players to select.

The former West Ham attacker said: “In the games that I’ve seen this season, I feel as soon as Ekitike comes off the field, they lose that shape and direction going forward, and that’s how they’ve started conceding more goals.”

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The 35-year-old continued: “I think it’s going to be a hard decision for Slot. You thought Isak was going to be their [first-choice] number 9, but how Ekitike has come in, he can’t not be number 9 right now. What is [Slot] going to do?

“Isak has come in to play, so is he going to play off the left, because obviously Mo’s not going to come off the right. How are you going to do it?

“There’s definitely going to be some teething problems. How’s he going to deal with the egos, because these are massive players. Ekitike’s definitely done well enough to be [the starting] number 9.”

(Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

Slot will be counting on both Isak and Ekitike this season

Antonio isn’t the first pundit to question how (or whether) Slot can fit both Isak and Ekitike into his line-up, but you can take it as guaranteed that the prospective dilemma would’ve been considered by Liverpool long before they invested £125m in the Sweden international.

The 25-year-old only returned to action this week having not played since May, so he mightn’t be automatically catapulted into the starting XI when we face Burnley on Sunday, especially with his fellow summer signing making a prolific start to his Reds career.

With the Merseysiders again battling on four fronts this season and set to face some intense fixture loads at various intervals, the head coach will no doubt be counting on everyone in his squad to play their part over the next few months, whether they’re a sure-fire starter or a more peripheral presence.

Isak and Ekitike might both be centre-forwards by trade, but modern-day attackers tend to be quite versatile and adaptable to numerous different roles, and Slot might well deploy either or both in wide positions throughout the campaign.

Antonio’s comments are valid, but Liverpool wouldn’t have signed the two strikers if they didn’t feel that both would be crucial figures in what they hope will be a successful defence of their Premier League title.