Liverpool’s draw at St James’ Park exposes lingering problems from last summer

Liverpool were held to a draw by Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday in the opening days of the new season, and the match underlined that vulnerabilities to counterattacks remain while fresh creativity has not yet emerged under Andoni Iraola.

Aside from Arsenal, teams with title hopes looked undercooked over the opening weekend, and Iraola’s side at least salvaged a point in Newcastle. The early pattern of the season has been the value of continuity: Manchester City, with a new manager, were fortunate to overcome Bournemouth; Aston Villa, after major changes, were beaten at Brighton; Tottenham lost at Brentford during a further overhaul; and Manchester United resembled recent iterations of the club in their defeat to Hull.

Arne Slot spent much of last season complaining about opponents scoring with their first chance and Liverpool’s difficulty handling direct attacks, and that vulnerability resurfaced as Anthony Elanga put Newcastle ahead and Joe Willock’s goal restored their lead, both instances described as opponents running at pace through vacant space. "Had he scored, Iraola said, everybody would have praised Gravenberch," the manager observed after the sequence that led to Liverpool’s first concession. "I don’t want us to take that from his game but we have to adapt as a team to these situations," said Iraola. "We have to know these situations can happen." On Newcastle’s second goal he added: "It wasn’t like they caught us by surprise. We should compete for the first ball and probably make a foul – be a bit more aggressive against the ball carrier. There were different reasons for both the goals which happened in transition. We have been preparing in the week for these transitions but there’s a reason why Newcastle are so good at them. It’s not just because one person is playing there. It’s something we have to correct between a lot of players."

The long-standing need for a defensive midfield presence since Fabinho’s departure in 2023 remains acute, and that absence magnifies weaknesses at the heart of defence. Even as Liverpool won the league under Slot in 2024-25, debate centred on an overdue squad overhaul and the priority of a dedicated holding player alongside Ryan Gravenberch; the spending spree last summer surprised observers partly for who was not recruited. Virgil van Dijk’s lack of pace on the turn, the article notes, is becoming increasingly obvious, and the 35-year-old’s tendency to drop deeper creates space opponents can exploit, as Yoane Wissa did on Sunday.

Several individual performances were flagged as underwhelming: full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were described as unconvincing, Alexander Isak was booed throughout by the home fans and "rarely looked dangerous in the first full 90 minutes he has completed since his British record transfer from Newcastle last summer," while Florian Wirtz offered neat touches but little incision. Of last summer’s signings, the six most expensive cost around £410m in total, and the only one to have looked remotely impressive, Hugo Ekitike, is out for months with a ruptured achilles.

Iraola’s record suggests his methods often take time to bed in, and there was cause for caution rather than alarm after Liverpool recovered to pinch a draw; the piece notes that, beyond Arsenal, few sides have yet looked especially impressive. Critics such as Jamie Carragher had argued late in the title-winning campaign that Liverpool needed substantial recruitment, a view the reporting reiterates.

Michael Edwards left his role as chief executive for football at Fenway Sports Group in July, and the article concludes that the mess caused by last summer’s spending spree endures.