Liverpool's Fragile Start Under Iraola: Key Positions to Address
Liverpool snatched a 99th-minute equaliser at St James’ Park, but the late drama could not hide how fragile Andoni Iraola’s new-look side looked on opening weekend.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderous penalty, smashed high into the net deep into stoppage time, salvaged a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United and spared Liverpool from beginning the Iraola era with defeat. The point felt big in the moment. The performance felt like a warning.
Liverpool were sliced open twice on the counter, repeatedly exposed in transition and, for long spells, looked like a team still miles away from being ready for a Premier League title fight. The late rescue act only sharpened the focus on what still needs fixing before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Because this was not just a shaky start. It was a shopping list in 90 minutes.
Chaos on Tyneside, Questions Everywhere
The tone was set almost immediately.
After just five minutes, Newcastle broke with ease and Anthony Elanga finished off a sweeping counter to put the hosts in front. Liverpool’s midfield had vanished, their defensive shape torn apart by a move that looked far too simple for Iraola’s liking.
Cody Gakpo briefly steadied the ship. His long-range strike dragged Liverpool level, a clean hit from distance that offered a glimpse of control in a chaotic game. But any sense of momentum lasted barely two minutes.
Newcastle went straight back up the pitch and Joe Willock restored the lead, again punishing Liverpool in transition. Once more, the midfield screen was missing. Once more, the back line was left exposed.
Liverpool chased, pushed, and finally, in the dying seconds, found a lifeline. Substitute Victor Munoz drew a clumsy foul from Lewis Hall in the box deep into stoppage time. Szoboszlai stepped up and hammered in a spectacular spot-kick to make it 2-2.
The away end erupted. The league table will show a point. The performance screamed something else: this squad is not complete.
Here are the four positions Liverpool simply have to address.
Right-Back: Frimpong’s Flaws Exposed
Jeremie Frimpong has now had a year to settle. The same issues keep resurfacing.
His pace remains a weapon going forward, and in certain games he can look electric on the overlap. At St James’ Park, though, his defensive shortcomings were brutally exposed. Positionally, he struggled. One-v-one, he looked vulnerable. His crossing and final ball were poor.
This is the problem: Frimpong works as a back-up right winger or as an attacking full-back at Anfield against teams who sit deep. In those games, his speed and aggression can pin opponents back.
Away from home, in high-intensity, end-to-end contests like this one, he is a liability. Newcastle targeted that side and got joy.
With Conor Bradley sidelined for months and Joe Gomez so often unavailable, Liverpool cannot go into the season banking on Frimpong as the reliable option in big away fixtures. They need an upgrade at right-back who can defend first and still offer something going forward, not the other way round.
Left-Back: Kerkez Under the Microscope
There was real optimism that Iraola’s arrival would unlock Milos Kerkez, giving Liverpool a dynamic, aggressive presence on the left. On this evidence, that remains a hope rather than a reality.
Kerkez endured a deeply worrying afternoon. His positioning looked uncertain, his decision-making rushed, and he did little to calm a back line already under strain. If this is the level Liverpool are going to get from him over a full season, left-back becomes a glaring weak point.
Behind him, Kostas Tsimikas is the main alternative. He has been a dependable squad player, but has never truly convinced as a long-term starter. He is unlikely to displace Kerkez and does not bring the kind of authority or composure that would settle a jittery defence.
Selling Tsimikas and bringing in a more experienced, steady left-back who can genuinely push Kerkez – and step in without a drop in quality – would give Iraola far more security. The sense that Liverpool might have been premature in letting Andy Robertson go will only grow if this area is not addressed quickly.
Midfield Shield Missing
The most alarming sight of the afternoon came without the ball.
Liverpool lined up with a two-man midfield pivot of Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai. On paper, it offered energy and technical quality. On the pitch, it was an invitation to be countered on.
Both players naturally want to step forward, to press, to join attacks. Neither is a natural holding midfielder. That was brutally exposed when Newcastle scored their opener, with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai the two furthest Liverpool players up the pitch as the hosts broke.
Szoboszlai works hard and presses willingly, but he lacks the positional discipline to anchor a pivot. Gravenberch’s off-the-ball awareness and passing in tight defensive areas remain inconsistent. Together, they leave huge spaces for opponents to run into.
Unless Liverpool sign a midfielder who can cover ground, break up play and protect the back four, this team will concede a flood of goals on the counter. Right now, they do not have that profile in the squad.
Brentford’s Ibrahim Sangare looked an ideal fit before slipping away, while Monaco’s Lamine Camara is another name who could plug that gap. Whoever it is, the role is non-negotiable. Without a true defensive-minded midfielder, Iraola’s attacking blueprint will keep collapsing in transition.
Right Wing: Ngumoha Out of Position
Rio Ngumoha is clearly a huge talent. But he is not a right winger.
That was laid bare here. Stationed on the right, the teenager struggled to influence the game. He failed to complete a single dribble, had just one touch inside the Newcastle box and saw his only shot blocked.
Ngumoha’s main strength is obvious: he wants to cut inside from the left onto his stronger right foot, drive at defenders and attack the box. On the opposite flank, he looks blunted, forced onto his weaker side and unable to do what he does best.
Liverpool need a different profile on that right side – a left-footed attacker who can drift infield and pose a genuine threat on that side of the pitch. Yankuba Minteh fits that description and is available before the deadline, though he will not be ready to play until at least October.
That only tightens the timeline. If Liverpool want balance across their front line, they cannot rely on a gifted teenager out of position while waiting for an injured signing to return.
Szoboszlai’s penalty spared Liverpool from starting Iraola’s reign with a defeat that would have stung. The performance, though, laid out the recruitment work still to be done in brutal detail.
With the clock ticking towards September 1, the question is simple: will Liverpool act decisively, or will this frantic draw prove to be a preview of a season spent living on the edge?
