The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool's underlying problems this season are significantly greater than they were a year ago.

Nearly a year has passed since Rio Ngumoha scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute at St. James' Park, and Liverpool fans once again flooded down the long staircase from the upper stands, celebrating a last-minute winner.

Last August, they left the stadium singing and dancing. This time they celebrated too, but with an underlying and persistent anxiety.

As fans traveled back along the A1(M), their excitement gradually faded, and everyone connected with Liverpool knows that despite the drama and joy of the late equalizer, the club's current problems are far more serious than they were at this point last season.

Remember, Liverpool were defending champions then, starting the season with strong momentum to retain their title. Many observers at the time backed Liverpool for an easy triumph, much as they back Arsenal now. While there are some optimistic signs for the team today, they are overshadowed by uncertainty.

Twelve months later, and after a managerial change, this opening match has raised more questions than answers. The fundamental issues that led to Arne Slot's sacking remain evident, and though the team celebrated wildly at the final whistle, supporters have every reason to worry about the season ahead.

The primary issue facing new manager Iraola is the midfield—or more precisely, the lack of a reliable defensive midfield. Both of Newcastle United's goals came from counterattacks, and both were preventable, as Liverpool's midfield was overrun far too easily.

Gravenberch, Wirtz, and last-minute hero Szoboszlai are all exceptionally talented players, but does a midfield comprising these three truly function effectively? They all have a natural attacking bias, leaving gaps for opponents to exploit.

This summer, Liverpool has been busy searching for a Salah replacement—the Egyptian having just scored on his debut for Trabzonspor on Sunday—but why hasn't Liverpool acted sooner to sign a defensive midfielder?

This is not a new problem. Throughout last season, Mac Allister and Gravenberch underperformed, and Liverpool have needed a defensive midfielder since Fabinho departed in summer 2023.

Daniel Sturridge told Sky Sports: "The team needs a defensive midfielder. Liverpool have been saying this for three years. Gravenberch has changed the team's midfield philosophy, but if you analyze this midfield, they're all attack-minded players."

"Look at Brentford's Sangaré—his statistics are very impressive, and his transfer fee is only 39 million pounds, which is hardly expensive."

Both of Newcastle's goals stemmed from Gravenberch losing the ball in dangerous areas near the home team's box. Liverpool players could only chase frantically after they lost possession, with no defensive midfielder to stop the counterattack. The defense was stretched, and ultimately breached.

Consider the great Premier League teams, which always have a player willing to drop deep and break up opposition attacks: Claude Makélélé, N'Golo Kanté, Rodri, Fernandinho, and Manchester United's midfield legends.

When Liverpool won the title in the 2024-25 season, Gravenberch excelled, but he hasn't recaptured that form since. The same applies to Mac Allister. Szoboszlai is a talented player but better suited to a more advanced role, as is Wirtz. In what is a crucial opening period of the season for him, Wirtz was once again subdued.

Liverpool remain hopeful of signing Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain this week and are also considering a third bid for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh. With limited options on the wing, these two signings are vital.

But signing a defensive midfielder is equally important. Even with a world-class attacking trio, Liverpool will win nothing if they remain vulnerable to counterattacks like Newcastle's in this match.

In Guardiola's Barcelona, Messi, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta attracted the most attention, but their number 6, Sergio Busquets, was the most important cog in the machine.

Iraola believes Liverpool played better and perhaps should be satisfied with a point, as for much of the match, Liverpool looked as though they would leave empty-handed.

During his time at Bournemouth, he employed an energetic and industrious midfield pair in Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook. Currently, the Basque manager appears uncertain how to configure his attack-minded midfield to both unlock Wirtz and Szoboszlai and ensure the team's defensive stability.

Now is the time for the club's hierarchy to act; the bench looks thin, and they must ensure that the capable Iraola has a squad to succeed in the new season.

Bringing in one or two wingers is certainly good, but a new defensive midfielder should be at the top of the transfer list alongside the wingers.

We cannot repeat what Newcastle United fans were shouting about former player Alexander Isak, but you can imagine the sentiment they expressed. Most of it was profane and thoroughly impolite.

Every time Isak, valued at 125 million pounds, touched the ball, the passionate home crowd at St. James' Park booed him.

It was a disappointing day for the Swedish striker. He looked sharp in preseason but could not maintain that form in a crucial competitive fixture.

He had a few chances but squandered them all, delighting the home support. If Liverpool are to achieve anything this season, both Isak and Wirtz must perform better.

## Attacking depth is a concern

Lewis Koumas impressed in preseason, a talented player capable of playing across all three attacking positions, and the manager was also impressed with the young Welsh player in training.

But when Liverpool fans saw him brought on as a substitute in an attempt to salvage a point, some may have felt concerned.

Lewis Koumas is the son of former Premier League midfielder Remyceiro and spent the second half of last season on loan at Hull City. Though he scored important goals in Hull's promotion push, he remained on the bench throughout the playoff final.

He deserves his Premier League debut, but fans are right to question why Iraola must rely on a player who has spent recent years in the Championship and also had loan spells at Birmingham and Stoke City.

Other wingers had inconsistent performances. Harvey Muñoz looked very bright after coming on as a substitute, constantly attacking the opposition defense and creating the foul that led to the decisive penalty.

Gakpo's goal was excellent, a long-range strike, and he was Liverpool's most dangerous attacking player in the match, though his future remains uncertain with Tottenham interested in signing him this summer.

Ngumoha is an exciting talent with all the potential to become a world-class player in the future, but he failed to make a real impact in this match, recording just 21 touches. The 17-year-old is better suited to the left wing and was largely ineffective on the right in this match. Meanwhile, some 2,000 miles to the southeast, Salah is scoring on his debut in Turkey's top division for Trabzonspor. With just over a week until the transfer window closes, Liverpool still have not found a replacement for the Egyptian star.

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com