Liverpool entered this Premier League season with their most expensively assembled squad in the club's history — and yet, according to analyst Jamie Carragher, it remains one of the most structurally flawed in a decade. Manager Andoni Iraola closed the summer window having spent over £200 million net, surpassing even last summer's outlay, but fundamental questions about the squad's balance persist.

A lopsided attack

The headline arrival was Bradley Barcola, signed from Paris Saint-Germain for £123 million. The deal drew immediate scrutiny, however, not because of Barcola's quality but because of where it leaves Liverpool's attack. The club lost Mohamed Salah — widely regarded as the finest right-footed left-winger in Premier League history — and responded by adding another left-footed wide player.

"Liverpool have not got a real out-and-out right-sided attacker," Carragher told Sky Sports. "We have not got anybody with a left foot on that right side, like Mo Salah. I am disappointed. I am not quite sure what we are going to do on that right wing right now."

Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike have all been deployed on the left flank. Rio Ngumoha, who broke through on the left, has been trialled on the right during pre-season. Victor Munoz appears the most plausible option on that side — but he was recruited off the back of a single top-flight campaign spent predominantly as a left winger.

The full-back problem

Iraola's system demands relentless energy from the full-back positions. That is reflected in the statistics: Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez both rank among the top three players in the Premier League this season for sprints — surpassed only by Adrien Truffert of Bournemouth, Iraola's former club.

With Conor Bradley injured, Frimpong has occupied the right-back slot in Liverpool's opening two matches, despite the club insisting last summer that he was not signed as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Dominik Szoboszlai has been suggested as an alternative, but that represents a compromise at best. Fielding a centre-back at right-back would be equally awkward given how central the position is to Iraola's approach.

Midfield cover — an unresolved question

Perhaps the most pressing concern is what lies behind Liverpool's high-pressing, forward-pushing shape. With full-backs advancing simultaneously and centre-backs sitting deep, the midfielders must cover vast ground to protect the space in between. Within five minutes of the opening Premier League fixture, Newcastle United exploited precisely that gap to score.

Ryan Gravenberch was instrumental in helping Arne Slot win the title last season, but Alexis Mac Allister's diminished physicality over the past 18 months raises doubts about whether Iraola currently has the personnel to absorb counter-attacks. At Bournemouth, Iraola preferred aggressive, high-energy midfielders who pressed relentlessly — not traditional holding players. Whether that philosophy suits this Liverpool squad remains an open question.

"I do not believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there," Carragher said. "For me, it does not work. And it is not just about personnel, it is the structure the manager is asking for."

An exciting but imperfect team

Carragher acknowledged the dilemma Iraola faces in trying to retain Liverpool's attacking fluidity while tightening defensive discipline. "There is a balance. We cannot go from one way where we send a lot of people forward to keeping everyone back so we do not arrive with numbers," he said.

With Virgil van Dijk increasingly inclined to defend deep and the full-backs permanently aggressive, the structural tension appears built into the system itself. Two high-scoring draws to open the campaign reflect a team capable of brilliance but equally vulnerable to being picked apart. Liverpool are loaded in attack, stretched thin elsewhere — and the margin for error could prove costly as the season unfolds.