Last July, Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother died in a car accident after the 28-year-old helped Portugal secure a World Cup berth.
Recently, former teammate Andrew Robertson (now at Tottenham) said on the podcast The Overlap that the players and the Liverpool club were still in mourning when the season started.
“Be devastated”
The new signings came to a club that was devastated. I felt sorry for these guys, because they had signed and been brought in for big money. If I talk about football, it took them several months to get used to it, because we didn't care about football. That was the truth, because we had just lost one of our best friends, said the Scot, according to Aftonbladet.
Alexander Isak was signed that summer from Premier League rival Newcastle for a record fee of 125 million pounds (approximately 1.6 billion SEK).
It was a tough period, especially for those who were at the club, says the attacking star ahead of Friday's Nations League meeting with Romania at the national arena in Solna.
How special was it for you to get into that position?
It wasn't difficult to get into the group, the group is fantastic, says the 27-year-old and continues:
It's clear that you felt the horror of what had happened. Then it's hard to draw conclusions, I didn't know the people there. But the atmosphere is good now.
Isak himself came to Liverpool without a proper pre-season and, in addition to some minor injuries, he suffered a broken leg in December. In total, there were only three goals in 14 league matches during his debut season at the big club.
Not chasing justice
Now the situation is completely different. Isak has scored four goals in five Premier League matches at the start of the season.
"I feel good. I feel good physically, have been healthy for a while now and have gained continuity. For me, that is the basis for being able to play good football," says the 27-year-old.
He's not looking for any revenge considering how last season went.
My focus has been on having a good season considering last year. It's not about any redemption but about normal ambitions that you have as a player.
According to Isak, Liverpool has not set any limits on his playing time during the national team training camp.
Then there are four games in a short time. It's not just about me, you need to look at playing time. Not just for the player but for the team. If you play four 90-minute games, you might not be doing your best.
Sweden plays in the B division together with Romania, Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The winner is moved up to the A division and the fourth place is moved down to the C division.
For the second and third place, promotion/relegation matches await in March 2027.
Sweden's matches:
September 25: Sweden–Romania 8:45 p.m. at Strawberry Arena in Solna.
September 28: Sweden–Poland 8:45 p.m. at Strawberry Arena in Solna.
October 2: Bosnia-Herzegovina-Sweden 20.45 at the Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica.
October 5: Romania–Sweden 8:45 p.m. at The National Arena in Bucharest.
November 14: Sweden–Bosnia-Herzegovina 8:45 p.m. at Strawberry Arena in Solna.
17 November: Poland–Sweden 20.45 at Tarczyński Arena in Wroclaw.
Source: Swedish Football Association.
