Liverpool rescued a point at St James’ Park with a dramatic stoppage-time penalty, but the 2-2 draw with Newcastle also highlighted three major concerns that Andoni Iraola needs to address quickly.
The Reds dominated possession for large periods and finished with plenty of attempts, yet Newcastle repeatedly looked dangerous when they broke forward.
For me, these are the three biggest concerns from the opening-day draw.
1\. Frimpong and Kerkez looked nowhere near good enough
The first concern has to be the full-back positions.
Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez both had difficult afternoons, and neither looked particularly convincing defensively.
Frimpong struggled to keep possession and was caught out when Newcastle broke forward for Joe Willock’s goal.
Kerkez was equally inconsistent. He looked keen to get forward, but defensively he appeared vulnerable and picked up an early yellow card that made his afternoon even more difficult.
And that’s what makes this particularly worrying.
Liverpool’s other options don’t exactly fill supporters with confidence either.
Andy Robertson is no longer the player he once was, while Kostas Tsimikas has rarely looked capable of becoming a long-term first-choice left-back.
Liverpool have invested heavily elsewhere this summer, but watching Newcastle attack those wide areas should surely make the club think twice about whether the full-back positions are strong enough.
If Frimpong and Kerkez are going to be Iraola’s first-choice full-backs, they need to improve quickly.
2\. Liverpool’s midfield is too attacking
The second concern is perhaps even bigger.
Liverpool’s midfield looked far too attack-minded, particularly when the Reds lost possession.
Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have plenty of quality, but there wasn’t enough defensive protection in front of the back four.
Newcastle repeatedly showed how dangerous they could be when they won the ball and attacked quickly.
Liverpool were getting numbers forward, but when possession was lost, there was often too much space for Newcastle to exploit.
That’s a dangerous combination in the Premier League.
Iraola wants Liverpool to press as a unit, but the players have to understand their defensive responsibilities.
You can’t have a midfield that is constantly looking forward without making sure someone is protecting the defence.
This has to be fixed
Liverpool’s possession-based football can be exciting.
But if the midfield doesn’t defend properly, better teams will punish them.
Newcastle already exposed the problem.
Liverpool cannot afford to wait until they’re facing Manchester City, Arsenal or a Champions League heavyweight before addressing it.
3\. Isak got almost no service — and Wirtz must do more
The third concern is the most frustrating.
Alexander Isak barely got into the game.
And it’s difficult to blame the striker completely.
Liverpool had plenty of possession.
They moved the ball around Newcastle.
They created 27 attempts.
Yet somehow their £125m striker spent huge periods of the game isolated.
That simply cannot happen.
Isak is one of the best strikers in Europe, but he needs service.
Liverpool need players getting the ball into dangerous areas around him and giving him opportunities to attack.
And this is where Florian Wirtz needs to step up.
The German struggled to influence the game at St James’ Park.
Liverpool didn’t sign Wirtz simply to be another talented player.
They signed him to become one of the players who makes things happen.
He needs to find those spaces between the lines.
He needs to create chances.
He needs to connect midfield with Isak.
And he needs to become the creative heartbeat of this Liverpool team.
Possession without penetration
That was perhaps the biggest lesson from Newcastle.
Liverpool can have the ball.
They can control games.
They can pass it around beautifully.
But if Isak isn’t receiving the ball in dangerous positions, what’s the point?
The Reds need to turn possession into penetration.
That’s where Wirtz, Gakpo and the wide players have to take responsibility.
Iraola has work to do
A 2-2 draw at Newcastle isn’t a disaster.
Liverpool showed character to come back twice and rescue a point.
But the result shouldn’t hide the weaknesses.
Frimpong and Kerkez need to improve.
The midfield needs to become more balanced.
And Isak needs far better service.
The encouraging thing is that these problems can be fixed.
Iraola has only had one competitive game.
But the warning signs are already there.
And if Liverpool want to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League, they need to address them quickly.
Because dominating possession means very little if your full-backs are vulnerable, your midfield can’t stop counter-attacks and your £125m striker is watching the game pass him by.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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