Alexander Isak’s Newcastle return was painful – but Andoni Iraola has more issues to solve

Andoni Iraola had just completed his media duties an hour after Sunday’s game when the noise ramped up again outside St James’ Park.

The sight of Alexander Isak emerging from the players’ entrance and heading towards Liverpool’s team coach triggered one final torrent of fury from the waiting band of Newcastle United supporters.

It was an uncomfortable afternoon from start to finish for the Swedish striker on his return to the North East. Off the pitch, he wore headphones to block out the noise, but on it there was no escape as the invective repeatedly rained down from the stands.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s expertly dispatched 99th-minute penalty ensured Liverpool narrowly avoided defeat in the first game of Iraola’s reign. In salvaging a 2-2 draw, they extended their unbeaten run in Premier League meetings with Newcastle to 20 matches and they still haven’t lost their opening league fixture since 2012.

But Isak cut a frustrated figure for the most part and left knowing he should have done more to silence the army of detractors who booed and jeered his every touch. He had four attempts on goal with an xG (expected goals) of 1.3, but fluffed his lines as he missed two ‘big chances’, as defined by Opta.

The bad feeling generated by his British-record £125million switch to Anfield last September, after he effectively went on strike to force through the move, meant Isak was always going to be the centre of attention when he faced his former club for the first time.

He completed 10 of his 13 passes (77 per cent) and won five out of nine duels (56 per cent), but when a ruthless streak was required, his touch deserted him. How the home fans, with their expletive-laden chants, relished his misfortune.

“I think Alex expected a bit of the atmosphere,” Iraola told reporters post-match.

“It was not a big surprise for him. He tried everything. He gave us good positions on the ball. He had a couple of situations to finish in the box but not the clearest. I value that he continued pushing and fighting throughout the game. It is a good step for Alex.”

That assessment felt overly upbeat, but then the bar was set low during Isak’s torrid first season at Liverpool when he arrived out of shape, picked up a groin injury attempting to get up to speed, and then sat out nearly four months with a broken fibula. He finished 2025-26 with just four goals in 22 appearances.

After a confidence-boosting World Cup and a proper pre-season, he had looked sharper in the friendlies and the hope is that this was a one-off in hostile surroundings rather than a sign of things to come.

Remarkably, Sunday was the first time Isak has completed 90 minutes in his Liverpool career and keeping him fit is going to be crucial. With Huge Ekitike set to be sidelined until after Christmas, so much responsibility rests on the shoulders of Isak to provide the firepower for Iraola in the post-Mohamed Salah era.

Attacking reinforcements are on the way, with Liverpool in the market for two wide attackers before the September 1 deadline. But even if they get Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola on board, they need to resist any temptation to cash in on Cody Gakpo, who has been pursued by Tottenham Hotspur.

Gakpo, who scored their first equaliser at St James’ Park with a clinical 20-yarder, provides the added value of being able to operate through the middle as well as off the left so the Dutchman can deputise for Isak when required.

With Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott not even making the bench against Newcastle, it would be no surprise if they moved on in the remaining eight days of the window.

Credit to substitute Victor Munoz, who produced a lively cameo on his Liverpool debut down the right flank, which ended with him winning the last-gasp penalty. Rio Ngumoha, 17, had started in that role but endured a tough afternoon.

Fellow youngster Lewis Koumas, 20, who was handed his Premier League bow late on after impressing Iraola in pre-season, contributed to the late pressure with his positive and direct approach.

The stats flattered Liverpool, who had 27 shots to 13, seven on target to four, and created an xG of 2.7 versus 1.4. They were nowhere near as dominant or convincing as those numbers would suggest and trailed for 92 of the 100 minutes played.

So many of the issues Arne Slot found himself wrestling with last season remain. One is trying to unlock the potential of Isak and Florian Wirtz, who remained on the periphery before being taken off after the visitors went 2-1 down.

The full-back areas are also a concern with Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong struggling against Newcastle. Both looked vulnerable defensively and were so erratic and wasteful in possession, as promising attacking positions were frequently wasted.

With long-serving left-back Andy Robertson no longer around and only Kostas Tsimikas as back-up, Kerkez has to raise his game. Having to rely on Frimpong at right-back until Conor Bradley is fit is far from ideal. The return of Joe Gomez will provide an alternative. Ronald Araujo, who came on to replace another debutant in Jeremy Jacquet, also has to be worth some game time there.

However, the biggest headache for Iraola undoubtedly surrounds the balance and structure of his midfield. Last season Liverpool were far too open in transition and nothing has changed on that front.

Both of the goals they conceded came from quick counter-attacks after they lost the ball on the edge of the Newcastle box. For the first one, Ryan Gravenberch inexplicably tried to pass rather than go for goal. Ten seconds later, Anthony Elanga outpaced Kerkez and fired past Alisson. Protection for the backline was non-existent with the midfield duo of Szoboszlai and Gravenberch both stranded upfield.

The second goal was even worse as Wirtz and Szoboszlai allowed Yoane Wissa to get away from them and feed Joe Willock, who punished some hesitant defending. On that occasion they were 12 seconds between Gravenberch conceding possession and Alisson being beaten.

Liverpool have conceded nine goals via fast breaks in all competitions since the start of last season — more than any other Premier League team. The previous opponent to score two of them in a game against them was Iraola’s Bournemouth.

Iraola insists work on the training field can fix that rather than having to go out and buy a specialist holding midfielder.

The late drama when Szoboszlai held his nerve to convert the spot-kick put a more positive spin on proceedings. It was the third time in four seasons Liverpool have scored a result-defining goal in stoppage time at St James’ Park.

‘Isak, ole, ole, ole,’ chanted the away end as they celebrated a share of the spoils. But in truth, this was an underwhelming start for both Liverpool and their most expensive asset.