Basque in the glory: Analysing the excellent Alexander Isak
For some players, being dubbed the next [insert star name here] can be a burden. Simply put, the weight of expectation can crush them and no matter what they do with their career, there’s always a feeling that they underdelivered. However, a select few thrive in this sort of environment. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland definitely fall into that category. Alexander Isak, albeit to a lesser extent, could be another.
The 21-year-old was likened to Zlatan Ibrahimović when he burst onto the scene with AIK as a 16-year-old. Their playing styles differ, but Isak is tall and Swedish, so the comparisons were inevitable. He was courted by a host of top European clubs and reportedly turned down Real Madrid before putting pen to paper on a deal with Borussia Dortmund.
He was unable to force his way into the first-team picture at the Westfalenstadion and was loaned to Willem II during the 2018/19 campaign.
Isak terrorised Eredivisie defenders, netting 13 goals in 16 outings. Real Sociedad saw enough to convince them to part with a fee believed to be in the region of €10million. In his debut season in Spain, the Sweden international scored nine times in LaLiga and added a further seven goals in cup competitions.
Isak really found his groove after the turn of the year and finished the campaign having scored against Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as scoring a late winner in the Basque derby.
With just a little over 1,300 minutes to his name in LaLiga this term, the 6’2″ striker has 14 goal involvements to his name. Of those, 12 are goals. He’s levelled up. There’s a ruthlessness to his game that he’d previously only shown glimpses of. Perhaps the biggest difference is that Isak is now creating his own space.
The best example of this is his opener from Real Sociedad’s 4-0 win over Alavés.
As seen above, the No.19 initially positions himself between centre-back and full-back. The obvious move would be to drop deep and receive Mikel Merino’s pass to feet.
Isak takes two steps towards the midfielder and drags the centre-back with him before bursting into the penalty area. The pass is perfectly weighted and the forward is able to apply the finish – a well taken, first-time volley. It looks simple, but that isn’t something he was doing on a regular basis last season. He was attacking space when it was there, he wasn’t orchestrating space for himself, however.
He’s nowhere near his peak yet, but with every passing year, Isak is adding to his game. He’s already got a bit of everything. The youngster is an instinctive finisher in chaotic situations and a composed striker when the pressure is on. He’s got poacher instincts, regularly scoring tap-ins having followed up the play, and he’s got the ability to latch onto passes, slalom his way past opponents and then nonchalantly fire past the keeper.
Isak’s shot map this season is a masterpiece. Remarkably, 42% of his goals have arrived in the six-yard box.
That alone highlights how good he is at getting into high-value areas and how effective Imanol Alguacil’s side are at ensuring the ball finds its way to their star forward in those parts of the box.
The shot map above, comparing this season to last, shows a clear shift in the centre-forward’s game. Last year, the majority of his efforts arrived in the space between the six-yard box and the 18-yard line. Now, though, a high number of his shots are from 12 yards or closer.
Isak isn’t just running hot. He’s matured as a player and the team is playing to his strengths. If he keeps getting into these areas, he’ll keep on scoring.
All the graphics and visualisations in this article use Wyscout data and were produced in the Twenty3 Toolbox.
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