Well, that was a frustrating watch. Andoni Iraola’s first game in charge at Anfield saw the Reds again come from behind twice in order to garner a point, this time against a hard-working and disciplined Nottingham Forest side.
Unfortunately, there was plenty for the Liverpool faithful to be concerned about.
Lack of intensity: Where are our Mentality Monsters?
It is worrisome that 30 minutes into the first home game of the season at Anfield, Liverpool had only one touch in the opposing box while Forest had no fewer than 10 touches in the Reds’ box at the Kop end.
While Liverpool eventually finished with 21 touches in the opposition box, Forest ended the match with 23 (Gripongames). Forest managed this despite having only 30% possession (Opta).
More damning is the fact that in duels, Forest quite simply wanted the ball more. The visitors won 54% of all duels, and an impressive 57.7% of all aerial duels (Opta).
For the Iraola press to succeed, the Reds as a unit must play with much greater intensity, speed, and ruthlessness.
It was damning that after Victor Munoz’s wonderful equaliser, Liverpool almost immediately gave up a dangerous chance for Forest to snatch back the lead. Instead, Forest should have been reeling from a Reds onslaught to grab all three points. That onslaught never materialised.
Moreover, the Reds must be much better at defending as a unit. While Jeremy Jacquet had another good performance, too often there were huge gaps left to allow Forest to come forward.
Liverpool’s full-backs looked especially vulnerable throughout the match. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong struggled all day, making poor decisions and looking confused about their positioning.
Having Ronald Araujo start at right-back might bring some calm and stability to the backline. Or dare we bring a Spanish Scouser in for a loan spell?
The Isak Issue
The stats again paint a worrisome picture when it comes to Alexander Isak.
While he scored after some great work by Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo, that touch was one of only 13 Isak touches in 95 minutes of play.
He needs to do a much better job of finding space and making himself available.
Florian Wirtz
On a day when Anfield honoured the memory of Kevin Keegan, the Reds’ current number seven performed relatively well.
Florian Wirtz was unlucky to have a goal ruled out for a Frimpong offside after finishing beautifully, and he nearly scored minutes later, but his effort was stopped by an excellent save from the Forest keeper.
Wirtz played a key role in both Liverpool goals. Firstly, he made the pass to Gakpo, who then fed Isak for the first goal. Later, it was Wirtz’s surgical pass that put Munoz in to grab the equaliser.
But, as with Isak, Wirtz needs the ball more. He had 71 touches over the course of the match; Dominik Szoboszlai had 115 (Opta). Wirtz showed today that he is clearly a threat both as a creator and as a finisher, but he cannot be either without the ball.
The Winger Dilemma
There were some good signs from the attacking flanks despite the surprising decision to start Cody Gakpo on the right side. Victor Munoz had a very good day. He scored a brilliant equaliser and played with an intensity and quickness that should be a model for his teammates.
Munoz’s ability to play on both the left and right was on full display. He deserves to start again. Rio Ngumoha came on in the 71st minute and looked good once he switched wings with Munoz.
While Gakpo did not look comfortable on the right, to his credit it was his lovely turn and pass that led to Isak’s goal. Considering the degree to which the team has struggled in the first two fixtures, Gakpo has acquitted himself well, providing an assist today and a strike last week at St James’ Park.
All this makes the news (at the time of writing) of his possible move to Manchester City all the more concerning. With the transfer window about to shut, management must seriously consider keeping Gakpo to maintain squad depth, both as a winger and as an emergency number nine.
There is no doubt that Bradley Barcola will provide a needed injection of world-class speed and creativity. Having Barcola, Munoz, Gakpo, Ngumoha, and perhaps Ismaila Sarr as forward options would lead to a steady improvement in the Reds’ fortunes.
Gakpo must not be allowed to leave without at least one right-sided forward being brought in. If he is not replaced, competing in the league, let alone three other competitions, will be improbable if not impossible.
Patience Needed
We are only two games in, and the transfer window has not yet shut. It will take time to implement the new system under Iraola and to develop the required fitness levels to make it work.
Management needs to fulfil its responsibilities by acquiring some additional pieces for Iraola before the window closes.
It is far too early to panic, but it would be nice to see a dominant Liverpool performance soon.
