Gerrard's Warning: Liverpool's Midfield Lacks Balance
Steven Gerrard has delivered a blunt warning to Liverpool’s hierarchy, insisting the squad remains “fundamentally unbalanced” without a natural defensive midfielder – and that the failure to replace Fabinho could wreck Andoni Iraola’s first season in charge.
The former Liverpool captain, now a prominent voice on TNT Sports, did not bother to dress it up when assessing his old club’s midfield before their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
“There’s one area that hasn’t really had much focus, only really in the last week since the Newcastle game. I believe they need a specialist in the No. 6 position, that’s my opinion,” Gerrard said.
Fabinho void still gaping
The sense of urgency comes straight out of St James’ Park. Liverpool’s chaotic 2-2 draw with Newcastle United exposed the soft underbelly Gerrard is talking about. They escaped with a point, but were repeatedly cut apart on the counter, looking exposed every time they lost the ball in the middle third.
For Gerrard, that’s not a tactical quirk. It’s a structural flaw.
“I think that position’s been sorely missed, I don’t think they’ve got a specialist in that position,” he explained. “That can allow your [Dominik] Szoboszlai’s and your [Ryan] Gravenberch’s and your [Alexis] Mac Allister’s to go and join attacks, to make the back four secure. I think they miss that position badly.”
The message is clear: until Liverpool install a true anchor at the base of midfield, their attacking talents will always be playing with the handbrake half on and the back four will live on the edge.
Iraola inherits an expensive puzzle
The scrutiny on Iraola is sharpened by what came before him. Arne Slot was backed heavily, with Liverpool committing around £250m last summer in a sweeping rebuild. Big names arrived: Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, plus young defender Giovanni Leoni.
The spending spree did not bring the one thing it was supposed to secure – a successful Premier League title defence. Slot paid with his job. Now Iraola has to turn a lavishly assembled but lopsided group into a coherent team.
Complicating his task, several pillars of the previous era have already walked away. Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson have all departed on free transfers, stripping experience and leadership from a dressing room still trying to absorb a new manager’s demands.
Centre-back numbers up, questions remain
If midfield is the glaring concern, Gerrard sees at least one department where Liverpool have taken a step forward, at least on paper. The club have moved to replenish the centre-back pool after Konate’s exit, and the former skipper believes the raw depth is finally there.
“I think in terms of numbers now, they’re better than they were last year. Konate has moved on, we wish him luck, he’s done a great job. We’ve now got four or five centre-backs, so volume, I think they’re secure,” he said.
Then came the caveat – and it cuts to the heart of Liverpool’s defensive future.
“I think the key is: is Jacquet going to be good enough?”
That is the hinge on which a back line, and perhaps a season, could swing. Liverpool may have filled the dressing room with options, but until they find a true No. 6 and discover whether their new central defender can carry the weight of expectation, Iraola’s project will live under the same question Gerrard has just posed.
