Liverpool's Draw at St James' Park Highlights Tactical Issues

Liverpool escaped with a point at St James’ Park, but there was nothing fortunate about the alarm bells that rang around their performance.

A 99th-minute penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai salvaged a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United and spared Andoni Iraola a losing start to his Premier League reign. It did nothing, though, to hide the structural cracks that were ruthlessly exposed on opening weekend.

Liverpool were sliced open twice on the counter, looked disjointed in both full-back positions and badly under-protected in midfield. For a club with title ambitions, the display felt less like a blip and more like a transfer warning with a ticking deadline attached.

Chaos, late drama… and a long to-do list

The night began badly. After only five minutes on Tyneside, Anthony Elanga finished off a sweeping Newcastle break to put the hosts in front. Liverpool’s midfield had vanished, the defensive line was stranded, and the home crowd sensed blood.

Cody Gakpo briefly changed the mood with a long-range strike to level the match, but Liverpool’s fragile shape crumbled again almost instantly. Barely two minutes after the equaliser, Joe Willock restored Newcastle’s lead at the end of another rapid counter, the visitors once more caught high and scattered.

For long spells it looked like Iraola’s first league game would end in a damaging defeat and a brutal tactical inquest. Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Victor Munoz forced the issue. He drove into the box, drew a clumsy challenge from Lewis Hall and won a penalty with the clock almost in triple digits.

Szoboszlai stepped up and hammered in a spectacular spot-kick to snatch a point. The away end erupted. The scoreline, though, flattered Liverpool.

This was not a performance of a side ready to challenge. It was a performance of a squad still short in key areas, with four positions screaming out for reinforcement before the September 1 deadline.

Right-back: Frimpong’s limitations laid bare

Jeremie Frimpong has now had a year at Liverpool. The verdict is becoming clear.

He offers pace. He offers thrust. He does not offer enough control or security when defending, and at St James’ Park that weakness was exposed repeatedly. His attacking runs occasionally stretched Newcastle, but his final ball was poor and his deliveries from wide were, at times, wasteful.

As a back-up right winger, or a right-back used at Anfield against low blocks, Frimpong can be a useful weapon. In hostile away fixtures like this, he is a risk. Newcastle targeted his flank and found joy.

With Conor Bradley sidelined for several months and Joe Gomez regularly unavailable, Liverpool cannot simply hope Frimpong grows into the role. They need a more reliable, defensively solid right-back option who can handle high-intensity away games and protect a back line already under strain.

Left-back: Kerkez under the microscope

If Iraola’s appointment was supposed to unlock the best of Milos Kerkez, this was a sobering first chapter.

Kerkez struggled, and if this level becomes the norm, left-back turns from mild concern into a glaring problem. The position felt exposed, and Liverpool’s attempts to build from the back lacked composure on that side.

Behind him, Kostas Tsimikas remains the main alternative, but the Greek defender has never truly convinced as a long-term starter. He offers energy and a good delivery on his day, yet has not shown the consistency or authority to displace his team-mate.

For a club trying to reset under a new coach, that isn’t enough. Selling Tsimikas and bringing in a more experienced, calm-headed left-back who can both challenge and guide Kerkez would give Iraola a far firmer foundation. Some around the club will quietly wonder whether letting Andy Robertson leave was a step too far.

Midfield anchor: A pivot asking for trouble

The most glaring tactical issue came in the centre of the pitch.

A two-man pivot of Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai looked adventurous on paper and reckless in reality. Neither is naturally inclined to sit, shield or read danger. That was painfully obvious when both were the furthest Liverpool players up the pitch as Newcastle launched the counter that led to Elanga’s opener.

Szoboszlai presses with intent and covers ground willingly, but he lacks the positional discipline to act as a deep-lying anchor in a pivot. Gravenberch, meanwhile, continues to frustrate. His off-the-ball positioning and passing under pressure remain below the standard required for a side that wants to control transitions.

Unless Liverpool add a specialist defensive midfielder who can cover space, break up play and patrol the zones behind their attacking eights, they will concede more goals just like the ones that stunned them here. At present, they simply do not have that profile in the squad.

Brentford’s Ibrahim Sangare looked an ideal fit before moving beyond their reach. Monaco’s Lamine Camara has emerged as an alternative option. Whoever it is, Liverpool need someone in that mould – and quickly.

Right wing: Ngumoha out of position

Up front, the right flank told its own story.

Rio Ngumoha is a gifted teenager, a player of clear promise. But he is not a right-sided winger, and this match underlined that bluntly. He failed to complete a single dribble, had just one touch in the opposition box and saw his only shot blocked.

Ngumoha’s main weapon is his ability to cut in from the left and attack defenders on his stronger right foot. From that side, he can drive inside, combine and threaten goal. Stationed on the right, he looked neutered, forced onto his weaker side and unable to impose himself.

Liverpool need a natural right-sided attacker who can come infield and pose a threat on his left foot. Yankuba Minteh fits that profile and is believed to be attainable before the deadline, but he will not be available to play until at least October.

That leaves Iraola with a short-term headache and a long-term decision. Does he trust youth out of position, or push hard for a specialist wide option who can keep defences honest on both sides of the pitch?

The late penalty at St James’ Park saved a point. The performance made something else clear: unless Liverpool act decisively in the market over the next few days, they may spend the rest of the season trying to fix problems that should have been solved before a ball was kicked.