Liverpool

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We asked for your views on how you would use Florian Wirtz in Liverpool's team, after Gary Neville said he and fellow big-money signing Alexander Isak have "had a bit of a free ride" in terms of criticism.

Here are some of your comments:

Phillip: As always, it feels the same thoughts we are all expressing. He's an extremely talented boy who, for whatever reason, lacks the intensity to really be effective in the Premier League. In pretty much any other league, he is likely to be one of the best players, yet he still has to fully adapt. The question really is: will he ever? Diminutive players have thrived in the past. I don't know if maybe the Premier League has moved on physically so much that there is no place. Remains to be seen, but massive agreement there can be no more excuses.

Johnie: The free role just hasn't worked. He looks lost and we are too open in midfield when we lose the ball. Go back to a conventional 4-3-3 and use him on the left, where he played a lot of games in Germany.

Peter: It's going to be a long old season. Jeremie Frimpong is one of Liverpool's worst signings and he makes the team weaker. Wirtz and Isak need to be dropped. Dominik Szoboszlai playing behind the striker, Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha on either wing and Cody Gakpo up front would offer more of a threat. I'd also give a chance to Wataru Endo or Trey Nyoni alongside Ryan Gravenberch (although it would be nice to sign a world-class defensive midfielder). But, overall, Liverpool need attacking reinforcements urgently.

Parm: It's going to be business as usual - and by that I mean the same as last season. Disjointed, too many weak points and players not performing. Wirtz is anonymous for large parts of the game. I'll make a prediction: Liverpool won't win any trophy with Frimpong, Wirtz or Isak in the team. If Gakpo leaves as he has been rumoured, and we fail to bring in proven quality, then it could be even worse than last season.

Dionne: I would sell Wirtz as soon as possible - cut the losses. He might be an intelligent footballer with great awareness, but he isn't technically exceptional and he certainly isn't athletic or quick enough to make it in the Premier League.

Miles: Szoboszlai on the right and Wirtz sitting behind Isak, with Nyoni and Gravenberch behind him.

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Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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It was a little under a month ago when, in the bowels of the Yankee Stadium in New York, Harvey Elliott spoke candidly about his emotions after a "tough" loan spell at Aston Villa and why this summer felt like a second chance for him at Liverpool.

There was a smile on his face when he spoke about his love for the club - the team he has supported since he was a boy - and wanting to be free and enjoying himself again with his football, because he felt like he hadn't done that enough.

On the first weekend of the Premier League season, though, Elliott was left out of the Liverpool squad for their trip to Newcastle United - and it now looks increasingly likely the 23-year-old could be on his way out before the transfer window closes.

Liverpool have received no offers for Elliott, who spent last season on loan, and his exclusion from the squad on Sunday was not transfer or injury related.

His contract expires next summer and, if first-team football is not possible at Liverpool, he needs to go somewhere where it is to avoid another lost season.

So, with a week to go in the transfer window and with further attacking signings expected at Anfield, perhaps the writing is on the wall.

A move lower down the Premier League or somewhere in Europe may be an option.

He is neat on the ball and unafraid to take risks - a return of 15 goals and 21 assists for Liverpool showcases what he can do.

Either way, it is imperative for all involved that Elliott finds somewhere to play football regularly this season.

Read the full article here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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I was at St James' Park on Sunday and when I regained my composure after the beautiful and poignant celebrations of the great Kevin Keegan's life, I quickly understood the devil-may-care approach that Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle United side brought to the party.

Liverpool were champions two years ago. They have spent many hundreds of millions of pounds since, on a squad which still looks threadbare, but on Sunday they were matched by a very young midfield duo delivered at a fraction of the cost.

Florian Wirtz (£116m) and Alexander Isak (£125m) were stifled by 20-year-old Lewis Miley, who cost nothing, and 18-year-old Sean Steur, who was signed for a measly initial £20m from Ajax. Putting that sort of youth up against world superstars would have been considered foolhardy until very recently, but the new coaches aren't bringing any fear with them into their new roles.

It is not just the newbies either, Everton's engine room under Davie Moyes had Premier League debutant Hayden Hackney (£24m from Middlesbrough) beside 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong, a Toffees academy graduate. They were still trusted to control the midfield and duly dispatched Crystal Palace.

This was always going to be a season of upheaval with all the managerial changes but it might be even more substantial than that. It could be the dawn of a complete shift in outlook.

Arsenal with their quality and experience might still see off the wannabe challengers in the end. Then again, weren't they riding the crest of this wave of organised chaos, utilising set-piece bedlam, as they won the title last season?

The big take: The league is always exciting but hasn't always given us enough tales of the unexpected, this season promises to be different. The newcomers appear to have a lack of fear and a love of chaos.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Manchester City have entered the race to sign Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, with Tottenham also still working on a deal. (Soccer News NL - in Dutch), external

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Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville says Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz "needs to sort himself out" and believes people have been "kind" to him and fellow big-money signing Alexander Isak after lacklustre performances for the Reds.

Both Wirtz and Isak cost the Merseyside club more than £100m each in last summer's transfer window and they have failed to set the world alight since. The duo have come under increased scrutiny after failing to make an impact in Sunday's 2-2 draw against Newcastle United.

Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the former England international said: "Wirtz needs to sort himself out. Enough's enough now, we've talked about him enough. He's young and he's come to a different country – and I'm all for willing him on.

"I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz, in particular. I see a nice player moving around the pitch not really ever looking like he is busting a gut to do anything.

"I want to put a rocket up him because there is ability there, there is talent there, the understanding of his position.

"The big thing for Liverpool is they've got this quarter-of-a-billion-pound front two, Isak and Wirtz and we've been kind to those two.

"They're going to have to start playing sooner or later or else, to be fair, they're going to get quite a lot of criticism. I think they are going to have to start delivering.

"They have both had a bit of a free ride. Obviously Isak was injured last season but Arne Slot loses his job, and Wirtz has played like that, so let's be clear, this has got me to start some real focus now."

How would you use Wirtz at Liverpool?

Get in touch with your views here

The BBC Radio Merseyside sport team takes you behind the scenes of Liverpool's draw at Newcastle in a new feature for this season.

Paul Salt, Chris Coughlin and Mike Hughes talk through their views of the game and the Kevin Keegan tributes, and discuss what it's like to come face to face with Reds boss Andoni Iraola.

This week they discuss Cody Gakpo's future and whether Liverpool should keep or sell the versatile forward.

Hughes said: "In the title winning season, I thought Gakpo was really good.

"I know the manager could alternate down that side with Luis Diaz and Liverpool had a much stronger squad at that time, but Liverpool cannot afford to sell him because he's the only potent striker that they have if something happens to Alexander Isak.

"Isak's injury nightmare is hopefully over, but he is still trying to find his feet.

"That alongside a lack of major contribution from Florian Wirtz is the underlying reason Liverpool are not causing damage at the top of the end of the pitch."

Salt addded that Gakpo was "at his best when he had pressure on his place" as "that's when he thrived" two seasons ago.

He concluded: "If we get the players that are rumoured, then there will be pressure on his place."

Hit play below or listen on BBC Sounds here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The season has started with a bang. With so many new coaches and major squad upheavals, I expected the unexpected and wasn't disappointed.

Hull City seeing off Manchester United raised the most eyebrows. Remember, United ended last season impressively and their hosts just about squeezed up from the Championship, via the play-offs. These are early days and Michael Carrick's side will improve, so need to panic yet. As for Hull, their performance hinted at something else.

Last season Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth didn't have the slightest hint of an inferiority complex when facing the super-clubs. The Tigers have started in the same style and I suspect others have now seen the light and will follow their lead.

Many are now embracing the idea of chaos, following the control-based dogma that held sway for so long. Some suggest this is "Kloppism" eclipsing the Guardiola doctrine. This is a bit simplistic but there is change in the air and it is being helped by the recent rule changes.

The game is speeding up, encouraging a quicker, more open style that lends itself to this organised chaos. It's early days, but already a pattern appears set for the season; reputations might count for little when up against hungry, youthful, fearless opponents.

Spurs and Aston Villa are seen as "big" clubs but size doesn't matter when confronted by a hunger, desire to work and the ensuing mayhem.

Just look at the way Brentford and Brighton closed both of them down at the weekend; Manchester City were within six minutes of losing to Bournemouth; Liverpool were seconds away from losing to Newcastle, a team supposedly gutted of quality and experience after those brutal summer sales.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

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Captain Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool will not panic after their opening-weekend draw at Newcastle but says a "reaction" is needed based on last season's failings.

The Reds needed an injury-time penalty to secure a point in Andoni Iraola's first competitive game.

Iraola's side twice trailed, with the Spaniard cutting a frustrated figure at times as he seeks to improve Liverpool's fortunes after last season's fifth-place finish under Arne Slot.

"It's absolutely normal in any type of profession, work, whatever you do, if you come in new and you have new plans and new ideas, then it takes a bit of time with new players," said Van Dijk.

"It's down to us to do it as soon as we can, as soon as possible, because we want to improve, we want to win and we want to be better. That's what we are going to try to do.

"We need to show a reaction from last year, that we are much better than last year, because this was very unacceptable.

"It's so early on in the season. I think if we start panicking regardless of what could have happened, then obviously you won't be in a good place.

"We work on the training ground a lot of hours and have a lot of discussions on the pitch about how we want to do it better, what we want to do and what the manager wants to see.

"Hopefully, next week, it will be very close to what he wants us to do. There were some good things in the game, but obviously also things that we have to improve."

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

John S: Newcastle we're unrecognisable - solid, exciting, hungry, inspiring. What a change around. Well done.

Sandy: Once again, the manager tried to run the clock! The penalty incident would never have happened if he'd left the team as it was. And the added time would have run out.

John G: Good to see Jaissle has got them organised and playing with confidence. We defended well and Miley and Steur were both excellent in midfield. We scored two great goals, with Wissa and Elanga working hard and playing really well. I still feel we need more experience in midfield and a seasoned striker.

Paul: Positive and committed performance - strong at the back and threatening with our pace in attack. Elanga, Wissa, Hall and Thiaw were particularly impressive. We'll see where we are after 10 games.

Liverpool fans

Peter: Liverpool looked disjointed with no flow. The Wirtz role didn't work all last season and is clearly still not working now. Isak, once again, had no presence up front. A lot of work to do.

Mick: Lacked ideas to break down Newcastle's defence. Showed many of same issues from last season. Need a winger and a central defender.

Garrick: Statistics suggested Liverpool were the better team, but I'm not sure about that. Statistics mean nothing. It's all about putting the ball in the back of the net and, luckily for us, we got a penalty right at the death to go away with a point. Always a tough place to go, Newcastle, but the season has only just begun.

Victor: I think it's a good start under Iraola, but there's still plenty of work to be done, particularly in midfield and defence. We were far too exposed going forward, and that's why we need to find the right balance. If we can improve our defensive structure while maintaining our attacking threat, I think we'll have a very exciting team and a promising season.

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch says "this squad can be really good," but they need time "to adapt to one another" and Andoni Iraola's playing style.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored a dramatic stoppage-time penalty to deny Newcastle victory at St James' Park on Sunday.

Hit play above to hear Gravenberch speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, or listen on BBC Sounds here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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When Liverpool came to Newcastle last August, there was utter jubilation as Rio Ngumoha scored a remarkable 100th-minute winner.

They scored late again this time around, through Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty, but it felt more like a sense of relief than joy as they rescued a point.

Andoni Iraola said afterwards that his side did not deserve to lose and, to their credit, they never gave up as they earned a 2-2 draw.

A defeat would have been Liverpool's first on the opening weekend since 2012-13. A draw will do wonders for their spirit, but it will certainly not mask their concerns.

"It is probably not the result you want when you come in before the game, but we definitely deserve this point and even more," Iraola told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The team never gave up and we recovered one point. It probably tastes better because we scored in the last minute."

Iraola will be content with the outcome, given his side trailed twice at a raucous St James' Park.

However, this remains a Liverpool side offering more questions than answers.

There will be food for thought for the new Liverpool boss, who prefers to wait until the day after a match for a debrief, but this was a relatively positive start to life under him.

"I've liked a lot of the things I've seen from the team," he added. "There are definitely things to improve, like the goals, but I've seen a lot of things I've liked.

"I've liked the energy, especially the players coming on from the bench. I think we finished the game quite strong physically."

"We will never give up, I can guarantee you that," Dominik Szoboszlai told Sky Sports. "We have to fight all the time during the 90 minutes.

"Everybody who came off the bench made an impact as well. We need the whole squad and we need to be ready."

That desire was never a cause for concern on Tyneside - but this Liverpool squad must improve, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Read the full article here

Liverpool and Brighton were expected to hold fresh talks on Sunday over Gambia winger Yankuba Minteh, 22, as the Reds consider whether to make a third bid. (Ben Jacobs, via TeamTalk), external

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Liverpool starting XI:

Alisson: Arguably could have been in a better position for Anthony Elanga's goal. Could do nothing to keep out Joe Willock's strike. 5

Jeremie Frimpong: Poor display at right-back. Did get into some good positions down the flank but lacked that final delivery and picked up a deserved booking for tripping Harvey Barnes just outside the box. 4

Jeremy Jacquet: Encouraging start to life in the Premier League. Looks assured on the ball and has great passing range but must be more aware defensively. 6

Virgil van Dijk: Perhaps could have engaged earlier with William Osula in the move for the first goal but in truth, it was a wonderful run and finish from Elanga. Will know that Liverpool should not have let Joe Willock shoot for Newcastle's second goal. 6

Milos Kerkez: Struggled to keep up with Elanga for the goal and picked up a first-half booking. Did show some threat attackingly but has to improve defensively. 4

Dominik Szoboszlai: Was caught out of position for Newcastle's counter and this was an unusually average performance from the Hungarian but he took his penalty in injury-time brilliantly. 7

Ryan Gravenberch: Did well to create space initially but it was his pass that lost the ball just before Newcastle's opener. Made his 100th Premier League appearance and got the assist for Cody Gakpo. 6

Rio Ngumoha: Tried again down the right flank but it just did not click for the teenager, who scored the winner when Liverpool came here last season. A much tougher experience this time around. Replaced just after the hour mark. 5

Florian Wirtz: Was encouraging in phases and unlucky to be denied by a good save from Lukas Hornicek in the first half. Taken off just after the hour mark and will know that he must do more. 6

Cody Gakpo: Threatened and came close to scoring before unleashing a brilliant hit for Liverpool's first equaliser. Plenty of talk surrounding his future and this was a timely reminder of his quality. 8

Alexander Isak: Unsurprisingly booed whenever he touched the ball on his first return to St James' Park since his £125m move last summer. Looked pumped up but did nothing of note and wasted a brilliant chance at 2-1. Like Wirtz, must do more. 5

Liverpool substitutes:

Victor Munoz (on 63, Ngumoha): The winger who Liverpool beat Newcastle to signing looked sharp when he came on and won the crucial penalty. 7

Alexis Mac Allister (on 63, Wirtz): Came on to bring some stability playing in front of the backline. 5

Ronald Araujo (on 70, Jacquet): Did what was asked of him when he came on to partner Van Dijk. 6

Lewis Koumas (on 78, Gravenberch): 5

Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, Nyoni, McConnell

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Andoni Iraola spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Liverpool's draw against Newcastle: "It's a strange feeling. Not the result we wanted but it's true, the way we scored the goal in the end, it tastes better. Still, we would have definitely preferred the win.

"We started the game the worst way we knew. Newcastle away, first game of the season, the atmosphere, they have very fast players and we concede the goal. They punished us and we had to go against the result. But we didn't give up in any moment. The energy of the players, especially the substitutes, it was a good recovery.

"Once you concede the first goal, you need the game to go fast. You need things to happen when you're losing. We could control the game in the second half. We had better possession around their box. When we scored, it looked like we were the team going to turn the game but then they scored again."

On Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz: "Jeremy hasn't done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected that he didn't finish the game. All the substitutes gave us energy. We need it because it's difficult to last the full 90 minutes with the same players the way we want to play. Players coming off the bench can affect the game.

"Victor almost had another penalty but the referee whistled before conceding it but it was even more clear. So he has really affected the game."

Goalscorer Dominik Szoboszlai spoke to MOTD: "It was a nice game. I would be more happy if we took the three points. But we take the positives, take the one point."

On manager Iraola: "We are still getting to know each other, the whole team and coaching staff. But we have a good company together and good team spirit and that's all that's needed to be successful."

Did you know?

• Liverpool remain unbeaten on matchday one in the Premier League in each of the last 14 seasons (since 2013-14), the longest active run in the competition.

• Arne Slot in 2024-25 is the only one of Liverpool's last seven managers to win their first Premier League game in charge of the club (D4 L2 – counting Houllier's first as joint with Evans).

Listen to Iraola's chat with BBC Radio Merseyside here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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Liverpool deserve credit for not giving up and fighting until the end, but the draw will only paper over some of the cracks that had been on display.

The Reds had 60% possession and 27 attempts on goal but despite that too many players had below-par games.

Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez disappointed in the full-back positions, while Alexander Isak was quiet on his first return to the side he left last September for a £125m move to Anfield.

Instead, Liverpool's most dangerous player was Gakpo, yet his future at the club is uncertain amid links with a move to Tottenham, and what happens this week in the transfer market - both in terms of incomings and outgoings - could prove pivotal in determining the sort of season Andoni Iraola's side will have.

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Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after Liverpool's draw against Newcastle: "There wasn't a great deal in [the match] but you can see the weaknesses that Liverpool had last season have not gone away. The defence doesn't look quite there. 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.

"In terms of pace, there is a problem there but going forward they need to be a little bit more creative.

"You're expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least, but they didn't look like a top four team today. There's more players to come in, so you can't make a real decision on how their season is going to go.

"There's a definite lack of creativity and somehow they must get the best out of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak because they certainly didn't get the best out of them today."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.