Former Dortmund II coach on Alexander Isak’s ‘ruthless’ path to redemption prior to Newcastle move

Former Borussia Dortmund II head coach, Jan Siewert, has lifted the lid on Alexander Isak’s career in Germany and how his struggles could have been avoided if he’d been sent to him sooner. The former Huddersfield Town boss was in charge of the Bundesliga club’s reserve side from 2017 to 2019.

Isak had burst on to the scene back in his native country of Sweden with AIK, aged just 16. His 10 goals in 24 appearances saw Europe’s top clubs register an interest in the young striker but it was Dortmund, synonymous with their ability to nurture the best young talent, who would win the race for his signature.

The striker had a tough start to life in Germany, moving away from home at such a young age, and four previous managers gave him very little time to settle in. Thomas Tuchel, Peter Bosz, Peter Stoger and Lucien Favre were at the helm during Isak’s tenure in Germany, but it was the latter – Favre – who made an attempt to rectify the situation and sent Isak to work closely with Siewert, but by then it was too late to rescue his career in Germany.

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Speaking to World Soccer Magazine, Siewert said: “He was alone abroad for the first time. At this age it wasn’t easy for him.

“We met at a coffee bar because I didn’t know much about him. I’d observed the first-team but there must have been a reason he wasn’t playing.

“He was a shy guy, very reserved. I showed him two pictures of himself, one of him with Sweden laughing just after he scored, and the other of him sitting on the bench at Dortmund. I asked him what the difference was and, by realising that I was helping him, he opened up.

“He is smart. He knew his skills, but lacked confidence. I told him we would put him in positions to score but we needed him to get on with our players. That conversation was an icebreaker; he began to score goals, his physique changed and he gained confidence.

“He just needed more time than he got. Jadon [Sancho] was the same, he needed time in my team to understand the German way of playing.

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“It was easy to think Alex had an attitude problem; he didn’t, he was sensitive. Technically, he could compete, but not at the level of the Champions League at that time. I don’t know why.

“He had four managers and only one sent him to me. If he started at my team, would it have been different? I think so, but I can’t prove that.”

Isak has proven his doubters wrong and has enjoyed an impressive start to life with Newcastle United, despite missing a large part of the campaign with injury. Nonetheless, Siewert believes the striker’s goal at Liverpool is ruthless example of what he’s all about.

Siewert added: “He finds spaces and gaps where there is very little time to shoot and is extremely clinical and ruthless. He would be very good with a second striker or a number ten behind him, because he prefers to be close to goal than coming in from wide.

“He has the smell of a striker; his goal against Liverpool sums him up. He put it in the top corner and it didn’t look like it took much effort because he exploited the space.”

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