Liverpool
How Iraola Could Address Liverpool’s Midfield Exposure
Iraola sees Liverpool’s midfield issue as collective, not one player’s fault, and may turn to Mac Allister.
Andoni Iraola has dismissed the idea that Liverpool’s problem can be solved simply by signing a specialist defensive midfielder. After Newcastle United repeatedly exposed the space through the middle on Sunday, the new boss insisted the issue runs deeper than one position.
The warning signs were plain in the 2-2 draw. Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz were both caught ahead of the ball before Newcastle’s second goal, while Dominik Szoboszlai was in place but unable to prevent Yoane Wissa moving forward. Former defender Jamie Carragher called the situation “madness,” saying: “This midfield cannot work, I said it before a competitive ball was kicked.”
Iraola took a different view. “It’s not just personnel,” he said after the match. “There were different reasons for both the goals which happened in transition.
“… It’s not just because one person is playing there [as a holding midfielder]. It’s something we have to correct between a lot of players.”
The concern is not new. Since the start of last season, only Sunderland have conceded more Premier League goals on the counterattack than Liverpool, who have shipped seven. By comparison, defending champions Arsenal have allowed just one over the same period.
One route is behavioural rather than structural. As Carlo Ancelotti has argued, defenders need a more pessimistic mindset than forwards. In Liverpool’s case, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have too much attacking instinct for a midfield shield, and both rushed into Newcastle’s box early on Sunday. Gravenberch, in particular, has increasingly ventured forward over the past year after excelling in a deeper role during Liverpool’s title-winning campaign.
Iraola’s own Bournemouth side showed industry last season but were also exposed in transition, so a positional tweak may not be his instinct. Instead, he appears to want the team to “finish the action” before counterattacks begin. On Newcastle’s first goal, he felt Liverpool should have taken the chance themselves rather than allow the move to break down. “For the first one [goal] I think we should just finish the great chance we created,” he said. “We were on the edge of the box with a clear situation to shoot, but we didn’t and then you have to give credit to Elanga for winning the race.”
The second goal pointed to another missed chance to stop the break earlier. “It wasn’t like they caught us by surprise,” he said. “We should compete for the first ball and probably make a foul–be a bit more aggressive against the ball carrier.”
That leaves Alexis Mac Allister as a possible internal answer. He began on the bench, with Wirtz alongside Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, but soon after Newcastle’s second goal Iraola introduced Mac Allister and adjusted the midfield triangle with the Argentine at its base.
Liverpool
Four lessons from Liverpool’s uneven start under Andoni Iraola
Iraola’s first Liverpool outing exposed risk, frustration and unanswered questions across the pitch.
Andoni Iraola began his Liverpool reign with the honesty expected of a manager who knew perfection was never likely on day one. “I would like to say on the first day we are going to be perfect, everyone will be in place,” he said with a strained smile, “but probably it is not going to be like this.” It was a line that quickly matched the evidence on the pitch.
With transfer business still unresolved, Liverpool’s current group offered no easy lift to the mood. Iraola’s football is built on controlled risk, and he has been clear about his preference. “I prefer to make mistakes,” he told Jamie Carragher before his debut. That approach was laid bare early at St James’ Park, where Liverpool’s midfield shape left them exposed in the fifth minute.
Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were both caught ahead of the ball after Amar Dedić won possession back for Newcastle inside his own penalty area. Florian Wirtz was skipped past by the slide, and the home side were suddenly running into open space. It was a problem that returned later, with Gravenberch again advanced for Newcastle’s second goal after losing the ball near the opposition box. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, was too weak in his attempt to stop Yoane Wissa or eventual scorer Joe Willock.
There were also signs that Liverpool remain in the market for width. Bradley Barcola is viewed as the priority on the left, while Yankuba Minteh is being closely monitored for the other side. Either move would affect Rio Ngumoha, who has already built his reputation from the left. He has made 30 senior appearances for Liverpool, and only one has come on the right. A move for Barcola would push him, and Víctor Muñoz, over there more often.
Ngumoha’s 60-minute spell offered little comfort. Lewis Hall kept him on the touchline and forced him into narrower, weaker positions whenever he tried to come inside. Alexander Isak faced a hostile reception throughout, and when Liverpool were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, he did not take it. Szoboszlai did instead and scored. Wirtz also struggled to influence the game behind him, and Iraola’s warning about Liverpool’s “overplaying” in the final third felt justified. After an expensive first season, the pressure on Wirtz remains considerable.
Liverpool
Real Salt Lake Linked With Georginio Wijnaldum as MLS Interest Grows
Real Salt Lake are in talks over Georginio Wijnaldum, with the former Liverpool midfielder now a free agent.
Real Salt Lake are being linked with a move for Georginio Wijnaldum, one of the standout figures from Liverpool’s recent peak years. The former Premier League midfielder is now 35 and available on a free transfer after his spell with Al-Ettifaq ended this summer.
Wijnaldum’s name remains closely tied to Liverpool’s most successful modern era. Across 237 appearances for the club, he delivered 22 goals and 16 assists, helping drive the side to major achievements under manager Jurgen Klopp, including the 2019 UEFA Champions League title and the 2020 English Premier League victory.
Before arriving at Anfield, he built his career with Feyenoord and PSV, then moved on to Newcastle United, which paved the way for his switch to Liverpool. After leaving Merseyside, he continued his career with Paris Saint-Germain and AS Roma before moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023.
His international record is equally notable. Wijnaldum has scored 28 goals in 96 appearances for the Netherlands and played an important role in the team’s third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He scored in the 3–0 third-place win over the hosts after the Netherlands had lost to Argentina in the semifinal. He was not included in the 2026 World Cup squad.
A move to Real Salt Lake would place him among a growing list of former European names arriving in MLS. The article also points to Thomas Müller of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris of LAFC, and Marco Reus and Sergi Roberto of the L.A. Galaxy.
Real Salt Lake have already been active this summer, and a Wijnaldum arrival would help offset some of the departures and keep the club competitive in a stronger Western Conference. Among those losses was winger Zavier Gozo, who joined Crystal Palace for nearly $15 million. There is also continued interest in Diego Luna, despite his dip in form and absence from the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup roster.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s long-running local player streak is now under real pressure
Liverpool’s 134-year local player streak is in danger after Curtis Jones departed.
Liverpool has long carried a sense of identity that goes beyond football. The city sees itself as different, and even Carl Jung, writing in 1927 after a vivid dream, described Liverpool as the “pool of life, it makes to live.”
That distinctiveness has also shown up on the pitch. Since the club was formed in 1892, Liverpool have had at least one local player from the city region, known as a “Scouser,” involved in every season. It is a remarkable run, stretching across 134 years, and it has become part of the club’s story.
Other clubs have chased local identity in different ways. Celtic once won the European Cup with a side made entirely of players born within 30 miles of their ground. Liverpool’s version of the idea has been less absolute, but far more enduring. Even managers such as Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley came from outside the city, yet there was still usually a local thread running through the squad.
That thread is now fragile. Curtis Jones had been the clearest example in recent years, making 49 appearances last season and representing the city on a regular basis. But he has since joined Inter in a $41 million (£30 million) move, after 228 appearances for Liverpool since his debut in January 2019. He had shared that local presence with Trent Alexander-Arnold until last summer.
Last season, the only other Liverpool-born player to feature for the first team was Jayden Danns, who played 15 minutes in a Carabao Cup tie against Southampton. He also made the bench once in the first round of the Champions League, but did not get near a Premier League appearance. Now 21, he was absent from the 20-player squad for Sunday’s Premier League opener against Newcastle United.
There are academy players in the squad, including Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas, but they are from elsewhere in England. Harvey Davies is from Liverpool, yet has not made a senior appearance. For now, the club’s historic local streak remains alive, but it is closer than ever to ending.
