Liverpool's Midfield Dilemma: Sturridge Calls for a Defensive Specialist
Daniel Sturridge has cast a sharp eye over Liverpool’s summer business and doesn’t like what he sees in the middle of the pitch.
The former Reds striker used the opening-day chaos at St. James’ Park to underline a problem he believes has been ignored for too long: Liverpool still don’t have a true defensive midfielder.
Old Problem, New Coach, Same Vulnerability
New season, new head coach, same familiar flaw.
Andoni Iraola has replaced Arne Slot, but Liverpool’s 2026/27 Premier League campaign began with the kind of soft underbelly that has haunted them for years. Within minutes of kickoff against Newcastle United, the warning signs flashed red.
Ryan Gravenberch lost the ball just outside the Newcastle box. In an instant, the home side sliced through Liverpool from back to front. One sweeping counter, one simple finish from Anthony Elanga, and the Reds were behind again to a transition goal that felt painfully predictable.
Liverpool did respond. Early in the second half, Cody Gakpo dragged them level, briefly shifting the mood and hinting at a fightback. But the control never came. The game stayed stretched, the spaces stayed open, and Newcastle pounced again.
This time it was substitute Joe Willock who punished Iraola’s side, finishing another move that exposed Liverpool’s soft centre on the break. The pattern was impossible to ignore.
Deep into stoppage time, Liverpool escaped with a point. Victor Munoz drew a late penalty after a foul from Lewis Hall, and Dominik Szoboszlai kept his nerve from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with calm authority.
The 2-2 draw spared Liverpool an opening-day defeat. It did nothing to quiet the doubts.
Sturridge Points to Sangare and a Missed Opportunity
On Sky Sports after the game, Sturridge didn’t dress it up.
"I think the team needs a defensive midfielder, personally," he said, pointing to a debate he believes has dragged on for far too long. "We've been talking about a defensive midfielder at Liverpool for the last three years and I think Gravenberch coming in and winning the league changed that philosophy."
The issue, in his eyes, is structural. Too many attacking midfielders, not enough balance.
"If you actually analyze the midfield, they're all naturally more attacking players," he argued, before highlighting a transfer that has clearly stuck with him: Brentford’s move for Mamadou Sangare.
Brentford picked up the midfielder this summer for around £39 million ($52 million), a fee Sturridge believes a club of Liverpool’s size and ambition could easily have matched.
"The stats jump out on the page," he said. "They are third in interceptions, third in tackles, third in possession recovered. For me, £39 million, you think to yourself, that's not a load of money for someone like Liverpool."
Sturridge stopped short of insisting Sangare was the perfect answer, but the point was obvious. That profile of player — the ball-winner, the destroyer, the one who plugs gaps and kills counters — is exactly what he thinks Liverpool lack.
"Liverpool don't have that profile of player right now," he continued. Trey Nyoni, a youngster he clearly rates, doesn’t fit that brief either. "Trey Nyoni, I really like him, but he's more of a ball playing eight. He's not a destroyer and won't strike fear in the opposition, like a Sangare can. Or an N'Golo Kante over the years."
Even Szoboszlai, who rescued a point from the spot, came under tactical scrutiny. "I also think, if I'm being honest, [Dominik] Szoboszlai is better as a no.10."
A Familiar Question for Liverpool’s Hierarchy
One game into Iraola’s reign, the same old conversation is back on the table. Liverpool can still score, they can still fight, they can still escape with late drama.
But can they control games against top-level opponents without a specialist defensive midfielder?
Sturridge has made his view clear. The question now hangs over Liverpool’s season.
