Liverpool entered the summer transfer market with a budget that eclipsed the previous year, spending well over £200 million on new signings. Yet, despite this financial outlay, manager Andoni Iraola closes the window with a roster that raises more questions than it answers. As former Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher observed on Sky Sports, "The squad doesn’t look balanced.
They are short at full-back and probably lack a proper midfield option as well." This succinct assessment captures the unease surrounding a team that, on paper, appears well‑funded but structurally flawed. The headline signing of Bradley Barcola for £123 million from Paris Saint‑Germain only highlights the imbalance. Liverpool have lost the Premier League’s most prolific left‑footed right winger in Mohamed Salah, and their response has been to pile on a player who, while versatile, is primarily a left‑footed attacker.
Carragher noted, "Liverpool don’t have a genuine out‑and‑out right‑winger. No one with a left foot on that side like Mo Salah.
I’m disappointed and unsure what we will do on the right wing at the moment." Barcola can operate on either flank, but his price tag suggests he will be deployed where he can make the biggest impact – a role that is not obviously on the right. So far, Cody Gakpo has been the primary left‑wing option, a position also occupied previously by Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike at other clubs. Young prospect Rio Ngumoha broke through on the left last season but has already been trialled on the opposite wing during pre‑season. Victor Muñoz, signed after a single top‑flight campaign as a left winger, also appears a candidate for the right side.
None of these moves, however, resolve the fundamental issue of a missing left‑footed specialist on the right flank. The recruitment strategy is not a disaster, but it does leave noticeable gaps. When Jeremie Frimpong arrived last summer, Liverpool made it clear he was not intended as a direct replacement for Trent Alexander‑Arnold at right‑back. Ironically, Frimpong has been thrust into that very position in the opening two league games, largely because Conor Bradley is sidelined with injury.
Some have suggested using Dominik Szoboszlai as a stop‑gap, but that would be a compromise, as shifting a central midfielder to full‑back undermines the tactical importance of full‑backs in Iraola’s system. Both Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have featured among the Premier League’s top three players for sprints this season, underscoring the high‑intensity demands placed on Liverpool’s wide defenders. The only player ahead of them in that metric is Adrien Truffert, a former Bournemouth player under Iraola, illustrating how crucial speed is to the manager’s philosophy.
In the first two matches, Liverpool’s full‑backs have been positioned high and wide, mirroring the approach that led Bournemouth to a title under Arne Slot. This aggressive positioning forces midfielders to cover large spaces, a task that becomes problematic when the midfield lacks a true holding presence. Ryan Gravenberch, who was instrumental in Slot’s title‑winning campaign, now finds himself in a side where Alexis Mac Allister’s physical decline over the past 18 months is evident.
Without a robust, defensively disciplined midfielder, Liverpool risk being exposed to swift counter‑attacks. Iraola’s Bournemouth side prized aggressive pressing and high‑up‑the‑field ball recovery, with players like Tyler Adams insisting they would "win the ball high up the pitch." Replicating that intensity in the Premier League, where opponents are quicker and more physical, demands a midfield that can both press and shield the defence.
Carragher has already voiced his doubts: "I don’t think the midfield can function with the personnel we have. It’s not just about the players, it’s the structure the manager is asking for." This critique was borne out within five minutes of Liverpool’s season opener, when Newcastle exploited the space between the high‑pushing full‑backs and the deep‑lying centre‑backs, scoring a goal that highlighted the vulnerability. With Virgil van Dijk increasingly inclined to sit deeper, the gap widens, leaving the back line exposed.
The squad, now the most expensive Liverpool has ever assembled, also appears the most structurally flawed in a decade. Finding a solution may require compromises beyond the transfer market. Carragher suggested, "You don’t want to lose the offensive fluidity, the numbers in attack, but we were punished early on, especially for the first goal. We didn’t lock down properly.
There needs to be a balance." He continued, "We can’t just push everyone forward all the time, nor sit back and lose our numbers in the box. I don’t want to tell Gravenberch not to carry the ball or arrive in the box. It’s about reading the situation.
Some players are great at sensing danger and staying back when needed. That awareness is crucial." In practical terms, this means Liverpool may need to rotate players more intelligently, perhaps using a deeper‑lying midfielder like Gravenberch in a dual role—shielding the defence while still contributing to attacks when space allows. It could also involve retraining a full‑back such as Frimpong to drop deeper when the team is under pressure, thereby creating a temporary midfield shield.
Tactical flexibility, rather than rigid adherence to a single high‑press system, might be the key to mitigating the current imbalances. For now, Liverpool have produced a series of high‑scoring draws that feel appropriate for a side still finding its equilibrium. Whether their attacking strengths will outweigh defensive frailties remains to be seen.
The team is undeniably exciting, but it is also imperfect and lopsided—a squad with world‑class talent that must learn to operate as a cohesive unit. Only time will tell if Iraola can fine‑tune the balance or if the structural holes will continue to undermine Liverpool’s ambitions this season.