Liverpool’s transfer activity this summer may come as a surprise to many observers, as the club actually outspent its previous campaign by over £200 million. Despite this financial commitment, new manager Andoni Iraola is left with a roster that raises more questions than it answers. Jamie Carragher summed up the prevailing unease on Sky Sports, noting, “The squad doesn’t appear balanced.
Liverpool are thin on options at full‑back and probably lack a proper midfield presence as well.” His remarks carry weight, especially when considered alongside the club’s £123 million acquisition of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint‑Germain. Barcola’s arrival highlights the same structural issue that has plagued Liverpool’s recruitment strategy: a lack of equilibrium across the pitch. The Reds lost Mohamed Salah, arguably the most lethal left‑footed right‑winger the Premier League has ever seen, and have responded by bolstering the opposite side of the attack.
Yet, as Carragher observed, “Liverpool do not have a genuine out‑and‑out right‑winger. No one with a left foot on that flank like Mo Salah. I’m disappointed and uncertain about how we’ll operate on the right wing at the moment.” While Barcola is a versatile attacker, his hefty price tag suggests he should be deployed in his strongest position – and that is not the right side.
So far, Cody Gakpo has occupied the left wing, a role previously filled by Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Rio Ngumoha, who broke through on the left last season, has been trialled on the opposite wing in pre‑season, and Victor Muñoz – signed after a single top‑flight season as a left winger – also appears a likely candidate for the right flank. None of these moves fully resolve the imbalance. The recruitment picture is not a disaster, but it does hint at a squad that is overloaded in certain areas while glaringly thin in others.
When Jeremie Frimpong was secured last summer, Liverpool made it clear he was not intended to replace Trent Alexander‑Arnold at right‑back. Ironically, Frimpong has been deployed in that very position in the opening two league games, filling in for the injured Conor Bradley. Some pundits have suggested using Dominik Szoboszlai as a stop‑gap, but shifting a central midfielder to a full‑back role is far from ideal, especially given the importance of width and pace in Iraola’s system.
Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have both featured among the top three Premier League players for sprint distance this season, a testament to the high‑intensity demands placed on Liverpool’s full‑backs. The only player ahead of them in that metric is Adrien Truffert, who currently thrives at Bournemouth under Iraola’s former stewardship.
This emphasis on rapid wing play is a cornerstone of the manager’s philosophy. A quick look at the average positions of Liverpool’s players in the first two matches of the campaign, compared with the title‑winning season under Arne Slot, reveals a striking pattern: the full‑backs push high up the pitch, often simultaneously, leaving the midfielders with the burden of covering the space behind them. This tactical setup could become a liability for Liverpool. Ryan Gravenberch was instrumental in Slot’s title run, but with Alexis Mac Allister’s physical decline over the past 18 months, Iraola may lack a true holding midfielder capable of shielding the defence against swift counter‑attacks.
At Bournemouth, Iraola preferred his midfielders to engage aggressively, a philosophy echoed by Alex Scott, who described the side as “very aggressive out of possession.” Tyler Adams added, “The players truly believe we will win the ball high up the field.” Yet, Carragher has already voiced 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 demanding.” Evidence of the problem surfaced within the first five minutes of Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture. With the full‑backs advanced and the centre‑backs sitting deep, a void emerged between the lines. Newcastle United exploited that gap to find the net, exposing a structural weakness that could persist throughout the season.
Virgil van Dijk’s tendency to drop deeper, combined with the high‑line approach of the full‑backs, means the midfield shield is often absent. Consequently, Iraola inherits the most expensive squad in the club’s history, yet also arguably the most unbalanced one in a decade. Finding a remedy without further spending will require compromises.
Carragher summed up the dilemma: “You don’t want to sacrifice the attacking fluidity and the numbers we bring forward, but we were punished early on, especially for the first goal. We didn’t lock down properly.” He continued, “We can’t simply flood the box with players or sit back and defend all the time. I don’t want to tell Gravenberch not to carry the ball or make runs into the box.” The solution lies in recognising moments when a player should hold position rather than chase. “You can’t control every movement like a joystick,” Carragher warned.
“Some players have a nose for danger – ‘I can’t risk going forward now, I need to stay back.’ Identifying those situations is the job of the team.” For now, a pair of high‑scoring draws may be an acceptable outcome for this Liverpool side. Whether their attacking strengths will outweigh the defensive frailties remains to be seen. The squad is undeniably imperfect and imbalanced, but it also promises an exciting brand of football that could still surprise opponents throughout the campaign.