Liverpool's Premier League Draw: Warning Signs Under Iraola
Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola began with chaos, jeopardy and, somehow, a point.
Deep into the 99th minute at St James’ Park, with defeat staring them in the face, substitute Victor Munoz darted into the Newcastle United box and drew a clumsy foul from Lewis Hall. One last chance. One last breath. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and hammered the penalty into the top corner, a ruthless finish that salvaged a 2-2 draw and spared Liverpool from opening their Premier League campaign with a damaging loss.
It felt dramatic. It also felt like a warning.
Liverpool were carved open twice on the counter and looked vulnerable every time Newcastle broke with any kind of pace. Anthony Elanga needed only five minutes to expose them, racing through to put the hosts ahead on Tyneside. Cody Gakpo briefly calmed the storm with a thumping long-range equaliser, only for Joe Willock to restore Newcastle’s lead almost immediately, finishing off another sweeping transition just two minutes later.
The late rescue act did not mask the structural problems. It merely underlined how much work remains before the transfer window closes on September 1. Four areas, in particular, demand urgent attention.
Right-back: Frimpong under the microscope
Jeremie Frimpong has now had a full year in a Liverpool shirt. Most of his standout moments have come going the other way.
His speed is obvious. He bursts forward, overlaps, and can stretch a back line. But when Liverpool needed solidity at St James’ Park, his defensive shortcomings were laid bare. Positionally he struggled, his one-on-one work was shaky, and his deliveries from wide areas were poor.
At Anfield, against deep-lying opponents, Frimpong can function as an attacking right-back or even as a makeshift right winger. Away from home, in hostile environments where Liverpool have to absorb pressure and defend big spaces, he looks far less convincing. This match underlined that gap.
With Conor Bradley sidelined for several months and Joe Gomez so often unavailable, Liverpool cannot rely on hope and versatility alone. They need a clear upgrade at right-back if Iraola is to build a defence that can withstand the league’s quickest counter-attacks.
Left-back: Kerkez exposed, depth in doubt
The optimism around Milos Kerkez was tied closely to Iraola’s arrival. The theory was simple: a high-energy, front-foot coach could unlock the Hungarian’s potential.
On this evidence, that remains a theory, not a reality.
Kerkez endured a deeply uncomfortable afternoon. If this level of performance repeats across the season, left-back becomes a glaring weak point. Behind him, Kostas Tsimikas remains the deputy, but the Greek defender has never truly convinced as a long-term starter for Liverpool. He offers industry and a decent delivery, yet he has never looked like a player capable of dislodging the first-choice option over a full campaign.
Selling Tsimikas and bringing in a more experienced, composed left-back who can genuinely push Kerkez would give Iraola much-needed balance and competition on that flank. Letting Andy Robertson leave now feels like a decision that has raised the stakes on getting this position right.
Midfield anchor: The missing destroyer
The most alarming sight of the afternoon came early: Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the two nominal holding midfielders, were the furthest Liverpool players up the pitch when Newcastle launched the move that led to Elanga’s opener.
A double pivot of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai is an invitation to be countered on. Szoboszlai presses willingly and works hard, but his game is built on aggression and creativity, not the positional discipline required at the base of midfield. Gravenberch, meanwhile, continues to look loose without the ball. His positioning off it and his passing in tight, dangerous areas remain below the level Liverpool need if they are to control transitions.
Without a midfielder who can cover ground, read danger and consistently win the ball back, Liverpool will concede more goals like the ones they shipped here. That type of player simply does not exist in the current squad.
Brentford’s Ibrahim Sangare looked an ideal fit stylistically before moving on, while Monaco’s Lamine Camara has emerged as an alternative option. Whoever it is, Liverpool need a defensive-minded midfielder who can sit, screen and allow the more adventurous players ahead of him to attack without leaving the back line exposed.
Right wing: Ngumoha out of position
Rio Ngumoha’s talent is not in question. His role is.
Asked to operate from the right, the teenager struggled badly to influence the game. He did not complete a single dribble, had just one touch inside the Newcastle penalty area and saw his only shot blocked. None of that was helped by the fact he was playing on the “wrong” side.
Ngumoha is at his most dangerous when he can cut in from the left onto his stronger right foot, driving directly at his marker. From the right flank, that weapon is blunted. Liverpool need something very different there: a left-footed attacker who can drift inside, threaten goal and open up angles for overlapping runs.
Yankuba Minteh fits that profile and is believed to be attainable before the deadline, but his fitness situation means he will not be available until at least October. That leaves Iraola facing an awkward short-term gap on the right, with a young prospect being asked to learn a role that does not naturally suit him.
The late penalty at St James’ Park saved a point and spared Liverpool from starting Iraola’s reign with a defeat. It did not hide the reality. Unless the club move decisively in these four positions before the window closes, that 99th-minute escape could feel less like a turning point and more like an early warning of a long, fraught season ahead.
