Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has made an impressive impact by scoring five goals in four matches, showcasing his adaptation to the Premier League. However, head coach Arne Slot acknowledges that pushing Ekitike has been key to reaching his current performance level.
The 22-year-old recorded goals in his first three matches after transferring from Eintracht Frankfurt, but the £125 million signing of Alexander Isak overshadowed his early success.
Following that, Ekitike faced challenges, netting just three goals in his next 17 matches as he adjusted to the arrivals of Isak and the team’s struggles.
With Isak now out for several months and Mohamed Salah participating in the Africa Cup of Nations, Ekitike embraces a more prominent role within the team.
Ekitike’s ongoing progress in adapting to the physical demands of English football is yielding results, although Slot noted it required some persuasion for the player to commit to this necessary improvement.
“He has put in tremendous effort to reach his current fitness level,” Slot remarked. “There were times when I had to convince him that this was essential for him to strengthen and grow, but he consistently worked hard, albeit not always happily, to improve both his on-field and off-field fitness.”
“I emphasized that if we defend set-pieces better, we increase our chances of scoring, because with a score of 0-0, it’s easier to find the back of the net compared to being 1-0 down.”
“It may sound odd, but handling the energy levels of the opposing team is crucial for our goal-scoring success. For both him and the team, it’s vital to avoid conceding from set-pieces.”
“He is prepared for the upcoming challenges we will face, but he is not our only forward; Federico Chiesa is also a potential option in that role.”
Liverpool approaches the home match against the bottom-placed Wolves on a six-match unbeaten streak (with four wins and two draws), indicating a turnaround after a difficult period with nine losses in twelve games.
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However, Slot noted that he didn’t see significant differences in performances between the two periods.
“The key difference has been that, aside from the second half against Brighton (a 2-0 victory on December 13), we’ve been conceding far fewer chances than we did during our previous run,” he explained.
“I also feel we’ve had a bit more luck recently compared to earlier games, where we dominated but ended up losing. In our last matches against Spurs and Brighton, our chances were fairly even, yet we emerged victorious.”
“In many instances previously, we were incredibly unlucky with the outcomes; almost every time. However, in the last two matches, I wouldn’t say we didn’t deserve the wins, but they were much more balanced contests compared to many others we lost.”