Gerrard Issues Warning on Liverpool's Midfield Imbalance
Steven Gerrard has fired a sharp warning shot at Liverpool’s hierarchy, insisting the squad remains “fundamentally unbalanced” without a natural defensive midfielder – and that the failure to replace Fabinho could haunt Andoni Iraola’s debut season at Anfield.
The former Liverpool captain, now a regular voice on TNT Sports, did not bother to sugar-coat his view as he assessed the current midfield ahead of the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
“There’s one area that hasn’t really had much focus, only really in the last week since the Newcastle game. I believe they need a specialist in the No. 6 position, that’s my opinion,” Gerrard said.
His sense of urgency comes straight out of St James’ Park. Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United may have yielded a late point, but the performance left scars. The side were repeatedly exposed on the counter, sliced through whenever they lost the ball in the middle third, and looked alarmingly vulnerable without a natural shield in front of the back four.
For Gerrard, that problem is structural, not cosmetic.
“I think that position’s been sorely missed, I don’t think they’ve got a specialist in that position,” he explained. “That can allow your [Dominik] Szoboszlai’s and your [Ryan] Gravenberch’s and your [Alexis] Mac Allister’s to go and join attacks, to make the back four secure. I think they miss that position badly.”
The message is clear: without a proper No. 6, Liverpool’s attacking talent is playing with a handbrake on and a trapdoor open behind them.
All of this lands squarely on Iraola’s desk at a delicate moment. The pressure on the new head coach is already intense, not least because of the huge financial commitment made under his predecessor, Arne Slot. Last summer, the club poured roughly £250m into a sweeping overhaul, landing marquee names such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, alongside young defender Giovanni Leoni.
That record outlay was supposed to underpin a dominant title defence. It didn’t. The campaign fell short, and Slot paid with his job. Iraola now inherits an expensively assembled puzzle that still doesn’t quite fit, and he must do it without some of the dressing room’s biggest figures.
Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson have all left on free transfers, stripping away experience and leadership in one hit. For a club that has prided itself on continuity, those are seismic exits.
Gerrard, though, sees at least one area where Liverpool have managed to replenish. At centre-back, the numbers look healthier than they did 12 months ago, even with Konate gone.
“I think in terms of numbers now, they’re better than they were last year. Konate has moved on, we wish him luck, he’s done a great job. We’ve now got four or five centre-backs, so volume, I think they’re secure. I think the key is: is Jacquet going to be good enough?”
That single question hangs over the rebuild. If Liverpool can trust their new-look defensive core, Iraola has a platform. If they ignore Gerrard’s warning about the No. 6 role, that platform may never feel stable.
The money has been spent, the stars have changed, and the new era has begun. Now Liverpool must decide whether to gamble on what they have, or finally plug the gap their greatest modern captain keeps pointing at.
