A draw in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match on Sunday, August 23, was a face-saving result for the Reds.
The match finished 2-2 thanks to a last-minute penalty converted by Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool. The Liverpool draw against Newcastle saw them equalise twice, with Cody Gakpo scoring their first goal.
The draw in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match came in Andoni Iraola’s first as the Reds’ manager. The Reds will face Nottingham Forest in their next match, but the draw in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match will give them some hope, but with two areas of concern for them.
Two Areas of Concern for the Reds After Newcastle United vs Liverpool
#1. Lack of Correct Combination in Midfield
The Reds started with Florian Wirtz as the No.10 in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match. Ryan Gravenberch was the No.6, as Dominik Szoboszlai started as the other central midfielder.
It left the Liverpool defence vulnerable against counter-attacks by Newcastle.
It was not a coincidence that both of Newcastle United’s goals came after Gravenberch had lost possession while trying to carry the ball forward. As Gravenberch lost possession in the final third, there was no defensive midfielder to cover for him and foil Newcastle’s counter-attacks.
After Alexis Mac Allister replaced Wirtz in the second half, the Liverpool midfield looked more balanced until the time Gravenberch was taken off.
This is a concerning thing for Andoni Iraola, as Liverpool would not like to take the field without Wirtz, on whom they spent £115 million. However, with Wirtz in the playing XI, the balance of the team suffers seriously, and the Liverpool defence looks vulnerable against counter-attacking teams.
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#2. Lack of a Proper Right-Winger
Liverpool started with Rio Ngumoha as their right-winger. Ngumoha showed during the course of the match that he was not a left-footed player who could play as an inverted right-winger like Mohamed Salah. Ngumoha struggled to get into the Newcastle penalty box from the right flank.
Victor Munoz, his replacement in the second half, looked only partially better in that aspect. Still, it was Munoz who earned the Reds the penalty in the dying minutes of the match that led to the draw in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match.
Both Ngumoha and Munoz are more comfortable playing on the left flank. However, Liverpool have Gakpo on the left, who looked comfortable cutting inside from the left and also scored the Reds’ first goal on Sunday.
In such a scenario, Federico Chiesa is the only player in the Liverpool squad who is comfortable playing on the right flank. However, Chiesa’s form for Liverpool in the two previous seasons has been nothing special.
The stalemate in the Newcastle United vs Liverpool match might make Iraola think about it. He might start with Munoz on the right flank against Nottingham Forest, as the Spaniard looked slightly better than Ngumoha in that position.
The Liverpool draw against Newcastle United might look like a decent result for the Reds given that they were trailing for the majority of the match. However, Iraola should still be reasonably worried about his team’s prospects in the upcoming matches after the Liverpool draw in their first match.
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