Liverpool left St James' Park with a 2-2 draw, a point rescued late by Dominik Szoboszlai from the penalty spot, and that probably tells you two things. First, there was character. Second, there were still too many familiar flaws.
Andoni Iraola's first competitive game as Liverpool head coach did not provide a clean statement of intent. Newcastle found ***** e too easily, moved through midfield too cleanly and exposed a defensive shape that still looks like a work in progress. That will concern supporters more than the result itself, because structural problems tend to linger if they are not fixed quickly.
One player, however, emerged with genuine credit. Ronald Araujo's debut off the bench gave Liverpool some badly needed authority at the back. As Pat Nevin on BBC Radio put it: "There wasn't a great deal in it but you can see the weaknesses that Liverpool had last season have not gone away. The defence doesn't look quite there." He then added: "I would say Ronald Araujo came on and looked quite impressive. very, very powerful and very, very strong. He might be a massive part of the answer."
Photo: liverpoolfc.com
That ***** sment is fair. Araujo did not arrive and transform the contest, but he did something almost as useful, he looked reliable immediately. For a defender making his first official Liverpool appearance, that matters. There was no fuss, no rashness, no obvious panic. He competed physically, handled duels well and looked comfortable with the intensity.
#quite
Andoni Iraola's first competitive game as Liverpool head coach did not provide a clean statement of intent. Newcastle found ***** e too easily, moved through midfield too cleanly and exposed a defensive shape that still looks like a work in progress. That will concern supporters more than the result itself, because structural problems tend to linger if they are not fixed quickly.
One player, however, emerged with genuine credit. Ronald Araujo's debut off the bench gave Liverpool some badly needed authority at the back. As Pat Nevin on BBC Radio put it: "There wasn't a great deal in it but you can see the weaknesses that Liverpool had last season have not gone away. The defence doesn't look quite there." He then added: "I would say Ronald Araujo came on and looked quite impressive. very, very powerful and very, very strong. He might be a massive part of the answer."
Photo: liverpoolfc.com
That ***** sment is fair. Araujo did not arrive and transform the contest, but he did something almost as useful, he looked reliable immediately. For a defender making his first official Liverpool appearance, that matters. There was no fuss, no rashness, no obvious panic. He competed physically, handled duels well and looked comfortable with the intensity.
#quite
2 months ago
