Liverpool's Warning Signs in Newcastle Draw
Liverpool escaped from Tyneside with a point, but it felt more like a warning than a rescue.
Deep into the 99th minute at St James’ Park, with Newcastle United seconds away from handing Andoni Iraola a bruising Premier League debut, substitute Victor Munoz tumbled under a clumsy Lewis Hall challenge. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up, ignored the chaos, and rifled a stunning penalty into the top corner.
2-2. A dramatic equaliser. A new era technically unbeaten.
But the performance? Full of red flags.
Chaos on opening day
Newcastle needed just five minutes to slice Liverpool open. A swift counter, the visitors hopelessly stretched, and Anthony Elanga punished them to put the Magpies ahead. It set the tone: every time Newcastle broke, Liverpool looked exposed.
Cody Gakpo briefly shifted the mood with a superb long-range strike, hauling Iraola’s side level. It was a moment of individual quality rather than control. Any sense of stability vanished almost instantly.
Two minutes later, Liverpool were behind again. Another counter. Another scramble. Joe Willock restored Newcastle’s lead and underlined a familiar theme: this team remains far too easy to play through.
Szoboszlai’s late penalty masked the scoreline, not the problems. If Liverpool are serious about challenging this season, the squad needs surgery before the September 1 deadline. Four positions, in particular, are screaming for attention.
Right-back: an upgrade needed
Jeremie Frimpong has now had a full year at Liverpool. His attacking bursts are eye-catching. His defending is not.
At St James’ Park, his pace got him into good areas but his final ball repeatedly let him down. Worse, his side of the pitch felt vulnerable whenever Newcastle transitioned quickly. In a game where Liverpool needed control and composure, Frimpong offered neither defensively.
As a back-up right winger, or a right-back used at Anfield against deep-lying opponents, he can be useful. In hostile away fixtures like this, he was exposed. With Conor Bradley sidelined for months and Joe Gomez so often unavailable, Liverpool cannot bluff their way through the season here.
They need a right-back who can defend first and still contribute going forward. On this evidence, that signing cannot wait.
Left-back: Kerkez under the spotlight
Iraola’s arrival was supposed to help unlock Milos Kerkez, to turn raw potential into a reliable Premier League full-back. On this showing, that feels optimistic.
Kerkez struggled, and if this level becomes the norm, left-back turns from a mild concern into a glaring weakness. Liverpool need stability on that flank; instead, they got uncertainty.
Kostas Tsimikas remains the main deputy, but the reality is stark: he has never truly looked like a long-term starter for Liverpool. He offers energy and a decent delivery, yet not the authority or consistency to seriously push Kerkez.
Selling Tsimikas and bringing in a more experienced, calmer left-back who can both support and challenge Kerkez would give Iraola a far sturdier platform. Right now, you could make a strong case they should never have allowed Andy Robertson to leave.
Midfield anchor: the missing piece
A two-man pivot of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai always looked adventurous. At St James’ Park, it looked reckless.
Neither man is naturally inclined to sit and screen. That was brutally highlighted when, for Newcastle’s opener, they were the two furthest Liverpool players up the pitch as the hosts broke away. The midfield was simply vacant.
Szoboszlai presses with intent but lacks the positional discipline required to anchor a pivot. Gravenberch’s off-the-ball awareness and passing under pressure also fell short of the standard needed to protect such an open system.
If Liverpool persist without a specialist ball-winner, they will concede a flood of counter-attack goals. They do not have a midfielder in the squad who consistently covers ground, anticipates danger and wins the ball back in the way this structure demands.
Brentford’s Ibrahim Sangare looked like an ideal fit before slipping from their grasp, while Monaco’s Lamine Camara is another option under consideration. Whoever it is, Liverpool need that profile — and quickly.
Right wing: talent out of position
Rio Ngumoha is a huge talent. That much is clear. But he is not a right winger.
Iraola stationed the teenager on the right, and the numbers told the story. He failed to complete a single dribble, had just one touch in the Newcastle box, and his only shot was blocked. It was not a lack of courage, it was a misuse of his strengths.
Ngumoha thrives cutting in from the left onto his stronger right foot, driving directly at defenders. On the opposite flank, he looked blunted, forced away from his natural game and into areas where he is less dangerous.
Liverpool need a different profile on that right side: a left-footed attacker who can come inside and threaten goal. Yankuba Minteh fits that description and is realistically attainable before the deadline, but he will not be available to play until at least October.
That leaves Iraola with a dilemma. Stick with square pegs in round holes, or force the club to act now?
Liverpool left Newcastle with a point and a dramatic highlight reel. But unless this squad is sharpened in the next week, that late Szoboszlai penalty might feel less like the start of something and more like a stay of execution.
