The ECHO's post-match talking point as the Reds are beaten on penalties in the Community Shield by Crystal Palace
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
For a club whose investment has reached historic levels this summer, it might seem peculiar to suggest Liverpool are undercooked. But with the defence of their Premier League title due to get underway in five days' time, the penalty shootout defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield has shone the spotlight on the areas where improvement can be found for the champions.
It would be wrong to suggest the 2-2 draw with FA Cup holders Palace represented a screeching realisation for Arne Slot about his squad's shortcomings, but it is clear that tactical tweaks and market moves are still needed before the Reds are fully equipped to go again.
"He had a good impact but he is also an example of a player who came, I think, one-and-a-half to two weeks ago, at the end of our Asian tour," said Arne Slot of Hugo Ekitike's eye-catching, 70-minute cameo on Sunday.
"So for me, with only three or four days before the Friday game, it wouldn’t be smart to play him for 90 minutes because… of course we have Federico [Chiesa] but he has not been on the Asian tour as well, so there’s not a lot to replace him with.
"So, if he gets an injury at this moment of time, that would be a big risk for the Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal games. That’s why I took him off but he had a good game today, that’s for sure."
Ekitike, a £79m arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt last month, has looked sharp, silky and powerful during his limited time as a Reds player but it's curious to note that he remains, for now, the only recognised senior centre forward at the club.
Cody Gakpo has always been a versatile, multifunctional sort of footballer but Slot has shown no inclination to move the Netherlands international away from the left side of the attack where he made his name at PSV Eindhoven and as a regular for the Dutch side.
And given Gakpo recorded his best season to date on Merseyside last time out, it makes total sense to keep him stationed on the left, even more so now Luis Diaz has moved to Bayern Munich in a £65.5m deal. Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha has lit up pre-season at times but he is a work-in-progress who is not yet ready to challenge Gakpo for a regular spot, despite the undoubted excitement around the talented teen.
So the current situation leaves Liverpool with four senior forwards alongside Ngumoha, with one of them in Federico Chiesa still with plenty to prove at Anfield. The Italy international's pedigree was talked up when he joined 12 months ago from Juventus but there has been precious little evidence of why he has his reputation so far as a Liverpool player. Speculation over his future persists and minutes remain limited.
"Well, we just lost Darwin," Virgil van Dijk said at Wembley. "He went to Saudi and we lost Lucho (Diaz), obviously he went to Bayern. I think there's always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us so let's see what the window brings in terms of the balance of the team.
"I said it last year we had to trust the club, the board and the people to make the right decisions, in order to help the club to even improve in all positions. Even with the season we had last season and I think that is a good sign. I think they have been doing pretty well."
The decisions to allow both Diaz and Nunez to leave have been drawn into sharp focus. Liverpool have still looked a smooth operation in the final third at times in the two games played without the South American duo but over the course of the campaign, it's clear the options are not as plentiful.
The obvious asterisk is the unimaginably tragic loss of Diogo Jota in early July but the willingness to sell Diaz and Nunez, who had both made it clear they wanted to leave, means sporting director Richard Hughes must have a plan.
Much rests on the future of wantaway Alexander Isak at Newcastle United; someone who has played all the hits in his efforts to leave St James' Park. After deciding against joining the club on their tour of the Far East by citing a minor thigh injury, Isak then resumed training at former club Real Sociedad before returning to the Newcastle setup to step up his workload away from his team-mates.
Eddie Howe has been critical of Isak's conduct to a point and reports of his banishing from a family barbecue at the club's training ground earlier this month suggested there is little way back for the former Sociedad striker in the North East, even if selling their star man remains an unpalatable prospect for Magpies.
After seeing a £110m bid rejected for the Sweden international earlier this month, Liverpool have made it clear negotiations won't resume while Newcastle remain without the players they have identified to replace Isak. It's been widely reported they have set an asking price at an eye-watering £150m, but there might need to be some bartering before an eventual British transfer-record sum is agreed upon.
A lot depends on Newcastle's ability to source an adequate successor for Isak but Andy Howe, the nephew of Eddie, has so far proven woefully out of his depth while in charge of recruitment in lieu of a full-time sporting director, which has been vacant since the combative Paul Mitchell stepped away.
Never has the importance of a proper sporting operations department been more apparent given the raft of targets who have slipped through Newcastle's grasp in recent weeks.
For Liverpool they certainly have that but the wait goes on to see if Hughes is able to add an Isak feather to his increasingly colourful cap. Slot may find himself having to make do with the current options at his disposal as the fascinating situation at Newcastle continues without a resolution seemingly in sight.
Liverpool at least know who they want in their efforts to further renovate the attacking department. But the waiting game goes on.