Liverpool's midfield performance in their recent draw at Newcastle has once again brought attention to its perceived fragility, raising questions about potential transfer window activity.
Manager Andoni Iraola indicated that the team's defensive issues, particularly in conceding goals, were not solely attributable to the specific midfielders selected for the match. "I think it's just not personnel," Iraola stated in his post-match news conference. He explained that the positioning of midfielders, such as Ryan Gravenberch, on the edge of the box, while potentially leading to offensive contributions like Gravenberch's assist for Cody Gakpo's equalizer, also left the team exposed. Iraola suggested that if such a shot resulted in a goal, the midfielder would be praised for his play.
Following Newcastle's second goal, which put them ahead 2-1, Iraola substituted Wirtz for Alexis Mac Allister. The team appeared more stable defensively after this change, although Mac Allister himself reportedly prefers to play in a more advanced role as an 'eight' rather than a deeper midfield position. Statistics from the match showed a disparity in defensive contributions, with Dominik Szoboszlai making zero tackles and winning three of his 10 duels, while Gravenberch made no tackles and won four of his 10 duels. In contrast, Mac Allister, after coming on, recorded two tackles and won four out of five duels.
"We have to adapt as a team to these situations and we have to know that these situations can happen," Iraola added. He noted that in certain defensive situations, the team could have improved by not conceding possession, engaging in challenges earlier, or reducing the distance to the ball carrier, characterizing the opposition's second goal as "incredible" despite having sufficient numbers to defend. He concluded that correcting these issues requires collective effort from multiple players, rather than pinpointing a single individual.
The match's expected goals (xG) stood at 1.43 for Newcastle and 2.73 for Liverpool, indicating that Newcastle was more clinical in seizing their scoring opportunities against Iraola's side.