Iraola's Liverpool salvage draw at Newcastle but must address defensive frailties

Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty in the 99th minute pulled Liverpool level at 2-2 on Tyneside, a rescue that felt more like exhaling than celebrating. It was Andoni Iraola's first match as Liverpool manager, and while the point kept them unbeaten on opening weekends since the 2012-13 season, the performance underneath told a different story—one of defensive brittleness and creative drought that no late heroics could fully obscure.

Iraola himself acknowledged the paradox afterward. His team had trailed twice at a roaring St James' Park yet never stopped fighting, which counted for something. "We definitely deserve this point and even more," he said, and there was truth in that assessment. But the journey to that point had exposed the very gaps he will need to fill before the transfer window closes. Liverpool looked vulnerable in ways a top-four contender should not, and the manager would have had plenty to contemplate on the flight home.

The spotlight fell immediately on two nine-figure signings from last summer: Alexander Isak, the Swedish striker who had left Newcastle in a protracted saga, and Florian Wirtz. Isak was booed relentlessly whenever he touched the ball, a reminder of the complicated history. He had 28 touches and looked engaged but squandered a clear chance in the second half—the kind of opportunity he would have buried regularly in a Newcastle shirt. Wirtz started brightly but was substituted just after the hour mark once Newcastle went ahead 2-1. Neither player produced the output their transfer fees demanded, and both will know their connection and overall contribution must sharpen in the weeks ahead.

The defensive picture was more troubling still. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong both struggled at full-back, and Liverpool were undone twice on the counter-attack—a pattern that has become chronic. Since the start of last season, Liverpool have conceded more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team: nine in total. The absence of a dedicated defensive midfielder was glaring, and it took Iraola until the 63rd minute, when he introduced Alexis Mac Allister just ahead of the back four, to begin addressing the imbalance.

Cody Gakpo emerged as Liverpool's brightest performer, finishing his chance with composure, and there was encouragement too in the cameo appearance of Spanish forward Victor Munoz, who won the late penalty that Szoboszlai converted. Yet Munoz's introduction also highlighted a problem: Rio Ngumoha, the English teenager who had been moved to the right wing despite preferring the left throughout his youth career, lasted just over an hour before being withdrawn. Iraola's insistence that his wingers be capable on both flanks is a reasonable tactical principle, but it may not survive contact with the reality of squad depth.

That depth remains the underlying crisis. Once Munoz and Mac Allister entered the pitch, Iraola's remaining bench consisted of a goalkeeper, a center-back, two midfielders, two full-backs, and two academy prospects. The cupboard was bare. There is also the unresolved question of Gakpo's future—if Liverpool bring in two more attacking players, the Dutchman may depart, and the club has already had two bids rejected for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh and been linked with Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.

Iraola will take the point and the spirit shown by his players, particularly those who came off the bench and injected energy in the final stages. "I've liked a lot of the things I've seen from the team," he said, and Szoboszlai echoed the sentiment: "We will never give up. I can guarantee you that." Resilience is a foundation. But foundation alone does not build a top-four team. Before the window closes, Iraola must find a way to add both quality and quantity to a squad that showed it can fight but cannot yet defend or create with the consistency required.