It’s two comeback draws from two games so far for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool side and they have shown weaknesses in both.
They were rescued by a soft Dominic Szoboszlai penalty against Newcastle which was won by substitute Victor Munoz, before Munoz rescued them again with a lovely turn and finish against Nottingham Forest.
Iraola took over in the summer following an impressive three-year spell with Bournemouth where he routinely over-performed whilst also playing attractive football.
However, much of the issues that plagued predecessor Arne Slot are still present in what feels like a very unbalanced Liverpool side.
Goalkeepers
Alisson looks to be Iraola’s chosen keeper, but he’s no longer the dominant presence that he used to be.
You can see from his goals prevented numbers that last season was his worst and he’s already down to –1.17 in just two games this season. Against both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest he could have positioned himself better to get down to low shots, and he also conceded a penalty against Forest.
The issue Iraola has is that second-choice Giorgi Mamardashvili didn’t impress in his 10 starts last season following his move from Valencia.
Freddie Woodman is third choice, whilst Vítězslav Jaroš is back with the club with his loan to Ajax being cut short by injury last season.
Defenders
Another weakness with this Liverpool team is that both full-backs are more comfortable attacking than they are defending. This is fine when you can dominate and camp in the opposition box, but it does leave them exposed on the counter as Milos Kerkez found out to his detriment against Newcastle as Anthony Elanga made him look like he was running in treacle to score the opener. There will be hope that a reunion with Iraola can get him back to his best.
On the other side is Jeremie Frimpong. Last season, Slot trusted him so little defensively that he started playing him as a right winger and despite possessing great pace, the right-back signed from Leverkusen can also be a liability defensively.
By having two full-backs who are so aggressive, you are then leaving a lot of work for your centre-back pairing. Ibrahima Konaté has left for Real Madrid leaving a gap next to Virgil Van Dijk.
It’s been 21-year-old Frenchman Jérémy Jacquet, signed from Rennes for a sizeable sum over the summer, who is currently filling it. The youngster looked out of his depth against Newcastle but recovered last weekend to put in a sterling defensive performance finishing the game with 11 defensive contributions and winning nine out of 10 of his duels.
Extra cover there comes from Ronald Aruajo, who has been loaned from Barcelona, with the returning Kostas Tsimikas providing an alternative option at left-back, having spent last season on loan at AS Roma.
Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are also still with the squad, but both are out with long-term injuries
Midfielders
Liverpool are blessed with a trio of very talented midfielders, who are all adept at many parts of the game but they don’t have an out-and-out destroyer.
Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai got the nod against Newcastle but got caught out when Gravenberch tried to carry the ball into the final third and left a huge gap in midfield. That resulted in Alexis Mac Allister replacing him against Forest. They looked a bit more solid as a result of that but lost some of their carrying threat.
Szoboszlai also looks to be the emergency right-back option and moved back there in the latter stages of the Forest game.
Nineteen-year-old Trey Nyoni looks to have made the next steps in his career, featuring heavily in pre-season and he appears to be ahead of Wataru Endo in the pecking order.
Ahead of them, Florian Wirtz has started both games in the 10 role. His first season with the Reds didn’t go completely to plan. Big things were expected of his after two seasons with 30 or more goal contributions for Bayer Leverkusen but he only managed 15 in his first season at Anfield.
His close control and movement in that free role is still something to watch out for however as it only takes a moment of magic to change a game and the German is certainly someone who possesses that ability.
Forwards
The biggest outgoing for Liverpool this summer was Mohamed Salah, who left the club for Trabzonspor, leaving Iraola with the question of how you replace a man who scored 257 goals for the club.
It’s a question that he looks to be struggling to answer. Rio Ngumoha started on the right in Gameweek One, being replaced by Victor Munoz off the bench while it was Cody Gakpo who was in the position last week switching over from the left-hand side. That often gave Wirtz the opportunity to drift right as Gakpo formed a front two with Alexander Isak.
For me, the answer looks to be the aforementioned Munoz. He started the game against Forest out on the left, which is where he played more of his football for Osasuna, but so far he looks more comfortable with his direct running on the right. His goal against Forest was excellent movement and ball control, ending with an unerring finish.
Liverpool have also been active in the transfer market but interestingly spending a huge chunk of cash on another player who prefers to play off the left in Bradley Barcola. for France, the former PSG man rotated with teammate Desire Doue at the World Cup scoring three goals to add to his 11 in Ligue 1 last season.
He’s undoubtedly a quality player and Dara O’Shea, who struggled against Manchester United, could have his hands full whoever starts.
That leaves the £125 million Alexander Isak playing as the central striker. The Swede isn’t a target man and will look to pull off to the left-hand side to get involved in the game. He scored his first goal of the season against Forest after an injury hit season last year.
Town fans will have seen him at his best in December 2024 when he grabbed a hat-trick for Newcastle at Portman Road and will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that situation this time round.
Twenty-year-old Lewis Koumas, son of Jason Koumas, is currently the other wing option off the bench with Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike out injured.
Prediction
It was back down to earth with a bump at Old Trafford on Sunday and, despite a stuttering start to the campaign Liverpool, are another side that can punish you if you give them an inch.
Portman Road will play a factor, but I think their quality will win out in a 3-1 defeat.
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