Jeremie Frimpong: Liverpool Must Start Finishing Chances After Newcastle Draw

Jeremie Frimpong says Liverpool have been given a blunt message in the wake of their dramatic opening-day draw at Newcastle United: start finishing chances.

Andoni Iraola’s first Premier League game in charge ended 2-2 at St. James’ Park, Dominik Szoboszlai rescuing a point with a 99th-minute penalty after the Reds had wasted a string of opportunities.

For Frimpong, the lesson has been hammered home all week.

“Finishing your chances, finishing the actions, because that’s what gets you the result,” the right-back told Liverpoolfc.com. “You can keep the ball all you want but if you don’t finish then it stays 0-0 or they end up scoring, so [the message has been]: just finish the actions.”

Adjusting to Iraola – and a new role

That chaotic afternoon on Tyneside was Iraola’s first competitive outing in the Liverpool dugout, and Frimpong is under no illusions: the adaptation phase is still underway.

“It’s normal,” he said. “I think every coach has their own type of system that they want to play and it takes time to adjust and for us to know, and get used to it [to a point] where we’re comfortable with it.

“So, we’re still working on it but I think it’s going the right way.”

One of the clearest changes for Frimpong has been his role. Since Iraola walked through the door, the No.30 has been used exclusively at right-back, rather than splitting his time between defence and the wing as he did last season.

“This whole pre-season I played right-back and I’m getting more comfortable there,” he explained. “Last season was a mixture of right wing and right-back, but right now it’s just been right-back. I feel like I’m defending more, I’m recovering more [and] I still attack, of course. But I like it, I’m enjoying it.

“Obviously first of all, [I am enjoying] just being on the pitch because last season [I had] injuries, so just being on the pitch and looking at my teammates and trying to help them out [is good].”

Anfield return – and a warning about Forest

Next up is a return to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime, with Nottingham Forest the visitors. Liverpool come home with a point from a difficult away assignment, but with a clear sense they left something behind in Newcastle.

“Obviously we would have liked to win against Newcastle but I don't think it’s a bad result coming from St. James’ Park,” Frimpong said. “But we definitely want to win against Forest for sure. It’s going to be a hard battle but we’ll see what happens.”

Home comforts matter. You can hear it in his voice.

“This is home, this is where we’re comfortable at, this is where we are at peace,” he said. “So, it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re happy to be home again with all of our fans… when you’re at home with fans like Liverpool’s, it’s amazing.”

The defender already has a recent reference point for what to expect from Oliver Glasner’s side. By chance, he watched Forest up close during pre-season.

“I’ve watched Forest. They had a pre-season friendly against [Bayer] Leverkusen and I went over to watch them,” he revealed. “They play good football, they are really good.

“I really like how they play. Obviously they play similar to Crystal Palace last season because of the manager, and obviously we had a difficult time with Crystal Palace last season. So, like I said, it’s going to be a tough game, for sure.”

Liverpool come back to Anfield with a new coach, a reshaped right-back and a clear directive ringing in their ears. Against Forest, those “actions” Frimpong talks about can’t just be built. They have to be finished.