This video cannot be played
When Liverpool arrived in Newcastle last August, there was immense excitement – a 100th-minute winner for Rio Ngumoha was a fitting start. However, this encounter delivered a more cautious result, with Liverpool securing a 2-2 draw.
Andoni Iraola acknowledged the team’s performance as ‘not deserving’ of the defeat, stating they earned a point and, creditably, never gave up. He commented, “It’s probably not the result you want when you’re in before the game, but we definitely deserve this point and even more,” Iraola told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Iraola expressed contentment with the outcome, given their trailing twice at St James’ Park.
However, the return to Merseyside on Sunday evening presented a challenge for the manager. He would have had time to consider the team’s performance, which highlighted the need for greater depth. “You’re expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least, but they didn’t look like a top four team today,” said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin.
Nevin further noted, “There are more players to come in, so you can’t make a real decision on how their season is going to go.”
Iraola will be content with the result, given his team trailed twice at a raucous St James’ Park.
But on the flight back to Merseyside, he would have had time to consider the performance, which highlighted why his squad needs more options. “You’re expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least but they didn’t look like a top four team today,” Iraola stated.
Iraola will be content with the outcome, given his side trailed twice at a raucous St James’ Park.
But on the flight back to Merseyside on Sunday evening, he would have had time to consider the performance, which highlighted why his squad needs more options. “It remains a Liverpool side offering more questions than answers,” he said.
One significant question is the Cody Gakpo conundrum, which will roll into the final week of the transfer window.
If Liverpool do bring in two more attacking players, Gakpo may leave. The club have been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye and have had two bids rejected for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.
Yet Dutchman Gakpo was Liverpool’s best player at Newcastle and took his goal brilliantly – while there was another positive in the performance of Spanish forward Victor Munoz on his Liverpool debut from the bench.
Munoz won the late penalty after replacing Ngumoha but Iraola’s decision to take off the English teenager off after just over an hour summed up how much he struggled down the right.
Ngumoha will turn 18 next week and has preferred to play down the left throughout his youth career but failed to have an impact on the other side.
With Iraola determined to have his wingers able to play on both sides, it remains to be seen if that experiment persists once Liverpool get more attackers in.
What is for certain is that Iraola needs more options. Once Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister came on in the 63rd minute, Iraola’s remaining bench options were: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Ronald Araujo, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas.
Defensively, both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong had poor games at full-back and Liverpool were undone on the counter attack for both of the goals they conceded.
The lack of a defensive midfielder showed and it was revealing to see Iraola use Mac Allister just ahead of the back four after Joe Willock put Newcastle 2-1 up.
Liverpool have now conceded more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season – nine.
All that and more will be food for thought for the new Liverpool boss but this was a relatively positive start to life under Iraola – who prefers to wait until the day after the match for a debrief.
Watch Related Video
Source: BBC Football
