Liverpool were fortunate to secure a point against Newcastle United earlier this afternoon after largely being outperformed by the Magpies at St James’ Park.
Goals from Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock looked to have secured Matthias Jaissle’s men a huge three points, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s last-minute penalty secured a point for Andoni Iraola’s outfit.
The Spaniard will no doubt be happy to have walked away from the encounter without defeat, but he will be disappointed that his side were unable to deliver his game plan.
Many of his starting players were unable to deliver the performances expected of them, which could lead to their starting roles under Iraola coming under huge threat.
Analysing Liverpool’s worst performers against Newcastle
Left-back Milos Kerkez made a name for himself during his time playing under Iraola at Bournemouth, but his first game under his former boss was certainly one to forget.
The Hungarian international was an energetic presence at both ends of the pitch, but ultimately did so without offering any quality at either end of the pitch.
He failed to complete any of his two cross attempts, whilst also being able to get past the opposition defenders with any of his attempted dribbles on Tyneside.
Kerkez wasn’t alone in failing to deliver during the 2-2 draw against the Magpies, as striker Alexander Isak was unable to deliver after returning to his former stomping ground.
The Swedish international registered four shots on goal at St James’ Park, but none of which troubled Lukas Hornicek who made easy work of his tame efforts on goal.
He also failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles, as his former teammates managed to nullify the threat he posed during the meeting this afternoon.
Both players undoubtedly fell way below expectations placed upon them by the fanbase, which could see both players dropped ahead of next weekend’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
As bad as Isak: Liverpool star must be dropped after Newcastle
The clash with Newcastle this afternoon has certainly highlighted numerous areas in which Iraola will need to work on if his side are to be a success this season.
The Reds often looked second best against Jaissle’s men on Tyneside and were certainly very fortunate to somehow walk away from the meeting with a point.
Isak and Kerkez were just two of the disappointing performers within the starting eleven, but they certainly weren’t alone, with right-back Jeremie Frimpong also failing to deliver.
The Dutchman has massively struggled to deliver during his 12 months at Anfield, but Iraola’s arrival was seen as a positive sign to kickstart his career on Merseyside.
However, his display against the Magpies was one which has further led to questions being raised about his long-term suitability to feature as a right-back in a back four system.
His stats from the clash against the Magpies earlier today highlight his struggles, with Iraola needing to make the huge call and withdraw him from his starting eleven.
Frimpong struggled to create any dangerous opportunities within the attacking third, as seen by his ability to only complete 50% of the dribbles he attempted.
|
Jeremie Frimpong – stats against Newcastle |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
65 |
|
Pass accuracy |
83% |
|
Possession lost |
17x |
|
Crosses completed |
20% |
|
Dribble success |
50% |
|
Dribbled past |
3x |
|
Fouls committed |
2 |
Even when he did find himself in threatening positions, the full-back struggled to provide the quality needed – subsequently completing just 20% of his attempted crosses.
His lack of quality in possession was further evident in his tally of 17 times possession lost, with such a tally the highest of any player within Iraola’s squad.
Even without the ball, Frimpong struggled to deliver the goods, subsequently losing 71% of the ground duels he entered and only made one successful regain attempt.
He was also dribbled past on three separate occasions and was often unable to prevent Harvey Barnes from causing carnage within attacking areas.
After such a performance, Iraola must be left with no choice but to drop the defender from his starting eleven and hand someone else a chance to star at right-back.
It’s clear the Dutchman isn’t cut out for a right-sided role in a back four, which could cost the Reds dearly in their efforts to regain their Premier League crown this term.
