Sweden vs Poland: Isak primed to boost burgeoning reputation
"I have seen him in action and he is fantastic." Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 10-word verdict on Alexander Isak is high praise indeed. After breaking onto the scene in 2016, there were obvious comparisons drawn between the two Swedish hitmen, even if the duo's playing styles differ.
Nevertheless, Isak is the next great Swedish star as he begins to really realise his potential on the European circuit. When it became clear that a knee injury would rule Ibrahimovic out of Euro 2020, attention turned to Isak to shoulder the striking burden for Sweden this summer. While supporters had been dreaming of an Ibrahimovic-Isak partnership to fire the Blue and Yellow into the knockout stages of the competition, the latter has taken on the responsibility like a seasoned pro.
Granted Isak is yet to hit the back of the net at Euro 2020, but then Sweden haven't been particularly prolific going forward either. Their only goal so far this summer was an Emil Forsberg penalty in their 1-0 win over Slovakia last week, a game that, to Isak's credit, he won the WhoScored man of the match in having torn the Falcons defence apart, completing six of seven dribbles.
Against Spain, Sweden had just 15% of the ball across the 90 minutes, but with limited service, Isak still worked tirelessly to help ease pressure on the backline, completing two dribbles and having one of Sweden's four shots in the hard-fought 0-0 draw, an effort that forced Marcos Llorente into a last-ditch block shortly before the break.
Nevertheless, if Isak wasn't the centre of transfer tug of wars before Euro 2020, he certainly will be now. Arsenal were credited with an interest in the youngster before the competition kicked off, but the Gunners won't be the only side monitoring Isak in the weeks to come.
There is usually a risk with spending big on a player on the back of an impressive summer tournament, yet Isak came into Euro 2020 following a superb La Liga season with Real Sociedad. Indeed, the striker netted 17 times, the sixth best return in the the division, and was rightly named the Young Player of the Season. Crucially, La Real have recently reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to buy the German side's buyback option in Isak.
Dortmund could have re-signed Isak for as little as £25m, which given the speculation surrounding Erling Haaland's future in Germany, could have seen the Bundesliga giants land a readymade replacement for the Norwegian at a cut price. Yet Real Sociedad's resolve has strengthened and they are demanding that potential suitors activate the £60m buyout clause if they are to sign the star striker.
And that list of potential suitors may yet grow longer should Isak follow up his man of the match performance against Slovakia with a star man showing against Poland on Wednesday evening. Sweden are currently in the driving seat in Group E after two games and having exited the last three European Championship's at the group stages, they are the only side in their group to have already secured a spot in the last-16.
They'll be looking to see out the group stages on a high against a Poland side that has picked up one point from two games as they, like Sweden, secured a backs-to-the-wall draw with Spain. Sweden have a decent record against Poland, winning the last three meetings between the pair, albeit last back in 2004, yet with the pressure off Janne Andersson's side, they can play with freedom and that will boost their hopes of earning a second Euro 2020 win.
Isak has been unlucky not to have scored for Sweden this summer with three of six shots blocked and two of six on target, and it is only a matter of time before he gets his name on the scoresheet for the national team in his first major international tournament. Another performance like that against Slovakia will only boost his burgeoning reputation and if he can notch that long awaited first Euros goal, the number of interested parties in his services will increase too.
