Liverpool drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest at home. Following the match, The Athletic published an article stating that signing Barcola was not enough, and that Liverpool needed to continue strengthening its fullback positions, describing Frimpong as a defensive weakness for the team.

Liverpool pursued Barcola, and patience proved to be a major asset. Early in the summer, PSG demanded an initial valuation of £145 million, which Liverpool's board dismissed, choosing instead to wait for the right moment.

The French international was unhappy with his playing time at PSG and eager to move to Merseyside. Liverpool believed the transfer fee would eventually decrease. Their strategy proved effective, as the club finally closed the deal for £106 million, with potential add-ons rising to £123 million.

New manager Arne Slot demands that his wingers be "game-changing players," and the two-time Champions League winner will inject significant pace and quality into Liverpool's attack. The 24-year-old French international, who has earned 28 caps for his country, will complete his medical on Sunday and become Liverpool's second-most expensive signing after Mohamed Salah's transfer.

Barcola's signing is an important acquisition, but if no other new players join the squad before Tuesday's transfer deadline, supporter sentiment will lean more toward anxiety than excitement.

After Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, no fan would have thought that simply adding a star at left-wing would put Slot's team on the right path, given the inconsistent start to the season and unconvincing performances in their opening two matches, yielding just 2 points from a possible 6. Instead, home supporters left with concerns about deeper issues within the squad.

For the second consecutive weekend, Liverpool's fullback positions exposed clear weaknesses. In the final fifteen minutes, Slot sought to inject fresh energy with substitutions, and both Kerkez and Frimpong were withdrawn—a telling detail. In the 70th minute, Gibbs-White scored a highly controversial penalty to make it 2-1 for Forest. The fact that both fullbacks remained on the pitch at that moment frustrated the Basque manager considerably.

"I wanted to make the changes about three minutes earlier," Slot told journalists after the match. "The ball went out of play many times, but I still don't understand why the changes couldn't be made. It seems the fourth official's substitution board was malfunctioning or something."

Alisson came out, and Neco Williams had already deflected the ball before making slight contact with the Brazilian goalkeeper, yet the referee still awarded a penalty. Alisson was furious. The primary cause of this danger was that Frimpong failed to mark the Welsh international, who burst forward from a quick throw-in.

According to OPTA data, Kerkez and Frimpong attempted a combined 6 crosses, none of which were accurate. It's no wonder Isak touched the ball only 14 times throughout the entire match.

The Swedish striker scored Liverpool's opening goal in the 60th minute, notching his first goal of the season with an easy tap-in at the far post, thanks entirely to a precise cross from Gakpo. For most of the match, Isak lacked sufficient attacking support.

Following Robertson's departure this summer, there was internal hope that Kerkez, whose debut season with the Reds was inconsistent, would deliver more consistent performances this campaign, but this expectation has yet to materialize.

Liverpool prioritized other transfer challenges at the time, and choosing Tsimikas as the Hungarian's replacement was understandable, but failing to sign a right-back is difficult to justify. Conor Bradley remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, forcing the team to rely heavily on Frimpong, who has so far become a defensive liability, with opponents repeatedly targeting his flank.

Saturday's draw also did nothing to quiet calls for Liverpool to strengthen their midfield before the transfer deadline. The arrival of Gravenberch and Mac Allister's return have not quickly resolved the midfield issues exposed six days earlier in the away match against Newcastle United.

Early in the first half, Liverpool attempted an offside trap, but a simple long ball from the opposition broke through their defense, and Ndoye scored first. During the build-up to this goal, Alexander Isak easily bypassed Mac Allister.

Szoboszlai often struggled to maintain possession and carelessly lost the ball, which frustrated the Anfield crowd. Toward the end of the match, repositioning the Hungarian captain to right-back slightly improved midfield balance, and youngster Endo entered as a substitute, displaying great dynamism. Unlike some experienced first-team players, the young midfielder showed excellent danger anticipation and positioning. This squad was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era, but there was little corresponding positive atmosphere and momentum in this performance.

The atmosphere in this midday fixture was muted, with palpable anxiety in the stands. Old problems that repeatedly plagued Liverpool during Arne Slot's tenure last season have resurfaced. The home side made a slow start, and Slot described their first-half performance as "terrible." He said in a post-match interview: "Our performance without the ball greatly affects the quality of our attacking play with possession.

"In the first half, we were too passive without the ball, and our defensive spacing was too wide. In the second half, we increased our intensity, moved the ball faster, and showed more urgency. We need to press opponents closely to win the duels. But that still wasn't enough to win the match, and I'm disappointed. A draw at home isn't an ideal result, and the main problem was in the first half."

Liverpool narrowly avoided their first home league defeat since the 2003-04 season, when Ranieri's Chelsea won 2-1 at Anfield. Nottingham Forest also came close to achieving their first three-game winning streak at Anfield.

However, in the 82nd minute, summer signing Luis Díaz scored a clean finish in front of The Kop, helping Liverpool avoid a home defeat. The young Spanish winger had previously squandered an easier opportunity, and his performance improved significantly after switching from the left to the right flank.

Gakpo, initially playing on the right, is determined to join Manchester City, and Tottenham is also very interested. Transfer negotiations are ongoing, and he is likely to depart before the transfer window closes. Liverpool will only allow Gakpo to leave if they secure another winger. Nonetheless, letting Gakpo go, who has been in excellent form at the start of the season, seems like a misguided move.

Salah deserves credit for a more impactful performance after being heavily criticized in the Newcastle match. His goal was unfortunately ruled out by VAR due to Frimpong's offside; Isak's goal came from his pass to Gakpo, and Díaz's goal came from his assist.

Slot still has many issues to address. Although Liverpool hasn't taken the lead in the Premier League this season, there is one important positive sign: the team has regained the resilience that was lacking in the 2024-25 season, when the squad often collapsed under Slot's leadership when facing adversity.

In the two matches of the new season, Liverpool found themselves trailing four times and equalized four times. Last season, the entire team managed to recover only a combined 5 points from losing positions.

The squad has a foundation for continued growth, but everything depends on whether Slot will have a fully equipped squad capable of facing subsequent challenges by Wednesday morning.

Traducido por IA.

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