Liverpool's Midfield Crisis Exposed Again at Newcastle
Jamie Carragher watched the nightmare unfold and went straight for his phone.
Five minutes into Liverpool’s new Premier League season at St James’ Park, the same old flaw ripped straight through Andoni Iraola’s team. Newcastle led, the home crowd roared, and Carragher’s patience snapped.
From a Liverpool attack to disaster in a heartbeat. Possession was coughed up inside Newcastle’s half, green grass opened up, and William Osula pounced. He drove into acres of space, carried the ball at full tilt and picked the perfect moment to slide in Anthony Elanga. One touch, one finish, and Alisson Becker was beaten. 1-0. Same story.
Carragher had been warning about this for days. All pre-season, in fact. Liverpool’s midfield too open, too easy to slice through, too eager to run forward without a safety net. As Elanga celebrated, the former defender took to X and didn’t bother softening the blow: “LFC midfield all bombing forward – happened all pre season, madness!”
This wasn’t a new concern. It was a prediction come true.
Liverpool’s soft centre haunted them throughout the 2025/26 campaign. Teams walked through the middle of the pitch far too often, and the numbers were brutal: 53 Premier League goals conceded. For a club with Liverpool’s ambitions, that isn’t a blip. It’s an alarm.
You’d expect that kind of defensive record to trigger a clear response from the hierarchy. A top-class defensive midfielder. A proper shield. A specialist number 6 to sit in front of the back four and stop exactly the kind of break that Osula and Elanga feasted on.
But here we are, 23 August, and that area of the squad remains untouched.
The transfer window has been open since the start of June and Liverpool still haven’t added the holding midfielder so many supporters have been crying out for. Talk of a big-money move for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton has cooled, with Lewis Steele pouring cold water on the chances of that deal happening late in the window.
At the same time, the club continue to chase Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. A talented wide player, yes, but the glaring gap is still in the middle of the pitch. The need for an elite number 6 has not gone away. If anything, Elanga’s early strike in Newcastle only sharpened the focus on it.
Finding that calibre of midfielder now, at a sensible price, in the final days before the window shuts on Tuesday week? That feels a long shot.
Inside the dressing room at half-time, Iraola will have had harsh words for a midfield that once again left its defence exposed. Outside it, the questions grow louder for Richard Hughes and the recruitment team.
Liverpool knew this problem. They lived with it all last season. The worrying part is simple: how many more reminders like this can they afford before the campaign slips away again?
