Liverpool’s summer transfer activity may surprise many, as the club actually outspent its previous campaign, ploughing more than £200 million into the squad. Despite this financial outlay, new manager Andoni Iraola concludes the window with a host of unanswered questions about the composition of his team.
Jamie Carragher summed up the prevailing unease on Sky Sports, noting, “The squad doesn’t look balanced. Liverpool are thin in the full‑back department and probably lack a proper midfield option as well.” His brief assessment captures the anxiety that lingers even after the £123 million acquisition of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint‑Germain.
Barcola’s signing, while impressive on paper, actually underscores the imbalance problem. Liverpool have lost what many consider the Premier League’s finest left‑footed right‑winger in Mohamed Salah, and their response appears to be loading the opposite flank rather than restoring equilibrium.
Carragher pointed out, “Liverpool have no genuine out‑and‑out right‑winger. We don’t have anyone with a left foot on the right side like Mo.
I’m disappointed and I’m not sure what the plan is for that wing at the moment.” Barcola is a versatile attacker, but the size of his fee suggests he should be deployed in his strongest position – a role that traditionally sits on the left. To shift him to the right would be a stretch. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has been used on the left this season, a slot previously occupied by players such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Young prospect Rio Ngumoha, who broke through on the left last term, was also trialled on the opposite wing during pre‑season.
Victor Munoz, signed after a single top‑flight campaign as a left‑winger, looks a likely candidate to fill the gap, yet his experience is limited. These individual cases alone do not condemn Liverpool’s recruitment policy; they simply highlight a curiosity that could become a catastrophe if other areas remain exposed. The squad now seems weighted toward certain positions while glaringly thin in others.
When Jeremie Frimpong arrived last summer, the club emphasized that he was not meant to be a direct replacement for Trent Alexander‑Arnold at right‑back. Ironically, the Dutch international has already been deployed in that very role in the opening two league matches. With Conor Bradley nursing an injury, Frimpong is the closest fit for a specialist full‑back, though some have suggested using Dominik Szoboszlai as a makeshift solution.
Shifting a centre‑back into the full‑back slot is far from ideal, especially given how crucial the wide‑backs are in Iraola’s high‑pressing system. The importance of the full‑backs is evident in the sprint statistics: both Frimpong and Milos Kerkez rank among the top three Premier League players for distance covered in the first two games, only surpassed by Adrien Truffert of Iraola’s former club Bournemouth.
Iraola’s philosophy relies on full‑backs bombarding forward, creating space for attackers but also demanding that midfielders cover the vacated zones. Comparing Liverpool’s average player positions in the opening fixtures with those of the title‑winning side under Arne Slot reveals a stark contrast. The full‑backs now push high and often simultaneously, forcing the midfield line to drop deeper to protect against counter‑attacks. This tactical shift could expose a vulnerability.
Ryan Gravenberch, who was instrumental in Slot’s success, may not provide the same physical presence that Alexis Mac Allister has lost over the past 18 months. Without a robust holding midfielder, Liverpool could struggle to shield the defence when the full‑backs surge forward. Carragher voiced this concern early on, stating, “I don’t believe the midfield can function with the personnel we have. It’s not just about the players; it’s the structure the manager is demanding.” His observation proved prescient when, within five minutes of Liverpool’s first Premier League match, Newcastle exploited the space between the high‑pushing full‑backs and the deep‑lying centre‑backs, scoring a quick goal.
Virgil van Dijk’s tendency to sit deeper, combined with the full‑backs’ advanced positioning, creates a persistent gap that opponents can target. As a result, Iraola inherits the most expensive squad Liverpool has ever assembled, yet it also appears to be the most structurally flawed in a decade.
Finding a remedy without entering the market will require compromises. Carragher suggested, “You don’t want to lose the attacking fluidity and the numbers in the final third, but we were punished for being overly aggressive, especially for the first goal.” He emphasized the need for a balanced approach: “We can’t just send everyone forward all the time, nor can we sit back and never arrive in the box.
Players must learn to recognise when to hold their position and when to press.” In practical terms, this means training certain midfielders to act as a shield when the full‑backs are high, while allowing others like Gravenberch the freedom to drive forward when space opens up. It also involves selecting players who possess the tactical intelligence to read the game and decide whether to stay compact or join the attack. At present, a couple of high‑scoring draws may be an appropriate early‑season result for this Liverpool side. Whether their offensive strengths can outweigh the defensive frailties remains to be seen.
The team is undeniably imbalanced and imperfect, but it also promises excitement for supporters willing to endure a few growing‑pain moments as Iraola seeks to fine‑tune his squad.