Liverpool salvaged a 2-2 draw in the dying seconds against Newcastle United but they were sliced apart through the middle all too often
A tactical look at Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Newcastle
A tactical look at Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Newcastle
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When Dominik Szoboszlai slammed home his 99th-minute penalty to claw back a point against Newcastle United on Sunday, the release of emotion amongst the travelling Kop made it seem as if Liverpool had just clinched all three in their Premier League opener.
The nature of that late blast into the top corner from the Hungary captain may have altered the mood significantly, but Andoni Iraola won't have liked a lot of what he saw from his team as promising moves repeatedly collapsed into incisive Newcastle counter-attacks.
Since the final whistle, calls for Liverpool to sign a defensive-minded midfielder have been amplified, with former Reds striker Daniel Sturridge the latest to join the list of pundits clamouring for such a move in the transfer market, and his former team-mate Jamie Carragher airing his own concerns on Monday night.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Sturridge said: "We have been talking about a defensive midfielder at Liverpool for the last three years and I think [Ryan] Gravenberch coming into the team and playing consistently and Liverpool winning the Premier League sort of changed that philosophy.
"But if you actually analyse the midfield, then they're all naturally more attacking players. Szoboszlai is probably better as a number 10. He strikes the ball well, he sets the press very well and all in all I think he's a more offensive minded player when you talk about the counter attack and the goal they conceded."
It's a familiar pattern, seen all too often last season, that has predictably led to a familiar outcry. The problems are readily apparent, but is the solution for Liverpool really that simple?
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Liverpool blunt, Newcastle sharp
On the face of it, a 2-2 draw against a Newcastle side with none of last season's first-choice midfield available - Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes having departed for north London and Joelinton missing through injury - is a disappointing result for this Liverpool team, with the quality Andoni Iraola still possesses in his starting XI.
Indeed, the Reds' equaliser and dominance on the stats sheet covered the cracks in a performance where they never truly were in control of proceedings, and looked well on their way to a first opening-day defeat since Brendan Rodgers' final weeks in charge back in 2015.
The first half was more frenetic than the second, Liverpool seeing just 53.3% of the ball compared to 67.8% after the break. The Reds started as they meant to go on, Szoboszlai giving the ball away inexplicably almost immediately from kick-off - with Newcastle's break a sign of things to come.
It was just five minutes later when Anthony Elanga opened the scoring, capitalising on a spell of pressure that the home side struggled to replicate for the remainder of the game.
Opta momentum graphic: despite seeing more sustained momentum than Newcastle, Liverpool didn't threaten the home side enough in the second half
Opta momentum graphic: despite seeing more sustained momentum than Newcastle, Liverpool didn't threaten the home side enough in the second half(Image: Opta)
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But in spite of their possession handicap, lower shot count (13 to Liverpool's 27) and lower expected goals (xG: 1.58 to Liverpool's 2.98), the Magpies arguably looked the more threatening side for the duration of the contest.
The Reds' attacks were biased towards the right (38.7% of their attacks were down that side) but, despite boasting bags of pace and trickery between them, Rio Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong were unable to conjure anything between them - and the pair exchanged just three passes over the 62 minutes they were on the pitch together.
Liverpool were only able to create two big chances (which Opta defines as a chance where a player is reasonably expected to score) prior to Szoboszlai's penalty with the final kick of the game; both were pretty forgettable opportunities for Alexander Isak from corners early in the second half, neither of which the Swede was able to take.
Newcastle managed the same number of big chances - three - as their opponents, but were able to take theirs in open play as they successfully exploited acres of open space when the Reds' attacks broke down centrally.
Clearly buying into Matthias Jaissle's direct style, the Magpies played 17.9% of their passes long in both halves and were ruthless when winning the ball back in their own half.
It was a determined display underlined by Yoane Wissa's magnificent performance. The former Brentford striker flattered to deceive last season when signed to fill the Isak-shaped hole in Newcastle's forward line, but against Liverpool he competed in and won more duels (11/19) than any other player on the pitch, setting up Willock for his side's second goal and accumulating 1.0 xG for himself.
Wissa should have wrapped up his influential display with a goal to put the game beyond Liverpool's reach with the game at 2-1, but flapped at a cutback from Lewis Hall in the six-yard box worth 0.51 xG (Fotmob), after Lewis Miley had strolled between Gravenberch and Szoboszlai to play a clever ball to the left-back on the byline.
Broken counter-press
While plenty of the spotlight has rightly landed on Isak and Florian Wirtz's underwhelming attacking performances, the aforementioned midfield duo lacked the balance Liverpool needed to control the game effectively.
Sturridge pointed to Szoboszlai and Gravenberch's attacking instincts to explain why the Reds' midfield was exposed so easily and, while this is true, the problems extended to the whole team's reactions - or lack thereof - when losing the ball high up the pitch.
Iraola explained as much when asked if his side need a specialist defensive midfielder. "It's not just personnel," he said. "I understand that Ryan Gravenberch is basically the number six and is on the edge of the box, and if he shoots and scores then we are saying, 'what a play from Ryan Gravenberch.'
"I don't want us to take that from his game but we have to adapt as a team to these situations, we have to know these situations can happen. The second goal we did better in terms of having the numbers to defend, but we don’t make a foul or go to the first challenge.
"It's not just because one person is playing there. It's something we have to correct between a lot of players."
Iraola saying it wasn't "just personnel" is important here. Though subtle, it was perhaps an acknowledgement that the Reds don't currently possess the kind of player whose immediate thought in possession is where to be if the team loses the ball.
Szoboszlai and Gravenberch didn't exactly cover themselves in glory in this respect. For Newcastle's first goal, Szoboszlai had advanced into an inside right position, which left only Wirtz to cover when Gravenberch turned away from Miley only to give the ball away with a square pass when he could have taken a shot.
Needless to say, a £100m+ attacking midfielder/second striker can hardly be expected to play the role of a defensive midfielder on the regular, but either Wirtz or Szoboszlai could have done something - anything - to halt the advance of Wissa for Newcastle's second.
Looking at the average positions of Liverpool's midfielders, it's interesting to note that Gravenberch played slightly higher than Szoboszlai, not far from the average position of Wirtz.
Opta average position graphic: Liverpool's pivot midfielders played closer to the forward line than the team's central defenders, with Wirtz unable to add security alongside them
Opta average position graphic: Liverpool's pivot midfielders played closer to the forward line than the team's central defenders, with Wirtz unable to add security alongside them(Image: Opta)
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The gap between the pair of pivot midfielders and the central defensive duo of Jeremy Jacquet and particularly Virgil van Dijk, though, was gaping. It is to be expected that van Dijk will need to play deeper as the explosive pace of his younger years can no longer be relied on as much, but this can leave enormous chasms when the midfield play so high.
Having a player in the side who could sniff out the danger and position themselves exactly where required to extinguish counter-attacks would ease the pressure on Van Dijk, as well as the adjustment period as Iraola implements his counter-pressing system.
Rotating the midfielders - one goes forward, one stays back - could work with the players Iraola already has at his disposal, but only if those players can develop a greater understanding as to their responsibilities in 'rest defence' - i.e.. knowing where to be to if a move breaks down so that Liverpool can keep the pressure on their opponent.
With both of the full-backs advancing high, this midfield understanding needs to be watertight - and it currently isn't. As such, despite playing 249 of their 445 passes in Newcastle's half, the Reds were unable to keep up sustained pressure. And as the game went on, they looked less and less likely to score with the Magpies' threat on the break clearly inspiring more caution in Liverpool's passing decisions.
The midfield dilemma
For all that Liverpool's midfield came under fire from pundits and supporters alike last season, it is curious that the Reds' priorities in the transfer market have been in other areas.
The pursuit of wingers has been the understandable focus after the departure of Mohamed Salah. Victor Munoz acquitted himself well in his debut off the bench, causing Lewis Hall a nuisance with his direct running and eventually winning the penalty from his opposite number after a positive drive into the box.
Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain and Yankuba Minteh of Brighton have been targeted and both could yet join before the transfer window closes next week, while Liverpool's only real positive in attack against Newcastle - Cody Gakpo - could pass them on his way out of the door if Tottenham Hotspur and now reportedly Manchester City follow through on their interest.
Ronald Araujo has also been brought in to bolster the defensive ranks after Jacquet completed his pre-agreed transfer from Rennes. But talk of a move for a dedicated defensive midfielder - or indeed a midfielder of any description - has been oddly subdued, even after Curtis Jones completed a £30m move to Inter Milan.
There is a case to be made that Liverpool would be better off avoiding an expensive move for Barcola, instead sticking with Gakpo and the promising Ngumoha as options from the left and prioritising Minteh as a dedicated right winger along with a starting quality deep midfielder.
Either way, the Reds have plenty of work on the training ground to get through before Champions League football starts in two weeks' time, when Iraola will no longer have a full week between games to drill his side in their off-the-ball responsibilities.
Whether Liverpool stick or twist could define how quickly they can adapt to play the high-octane style of football that supporters long for once again.
*All statistics used are from Opta unless otherwise stated.