Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City and the result showed what is wrong with Andoni Iraola’s current squad, with his two biggest problems clear
Manchester City’s thumping win at Anfield could and should prove irrelevant in the end. The former champions have been exposed as cheats, having broken Premier League spending rules.
The subsequent punishments, which cannot come soon enough but won’t do, should be severe. These include stripping City of the titles won, including this one, should Enzo Maresca’s men go on to become English champions again.
But the 3-0 win over Liverpool was quite the opposite of being irrelevant. At least where the losers are concerned. Because what the outcome did was hand Liverpool a sharp reminder of how much work still has to be done, if the team is to get back to the top.
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If City do win the title this season, but are then relegated and the honour goes to whoever finishes second, it won’t be Liverpool. Such an outcome would be farcical, it has to be said.
Those seasons in question should be declared null and void. No-one should remember a runner up. And having no winner would be the most damning reminder of what transpired.
But what was lost in the cauldron of hate at Anfield was the fact Liverpool are miles off it. It’s hard to stomach, granted, but City outclassed Andola Iraola’s men in the end.
There’s no escaping the fact, however hard Liverpool and the club’s supporters want to focus on the wrongdoings of their most bitter rivals.
It’s true Iraola was missing some important stars. Like Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak. But it’s the failings of those who made it onto the pitch Iraola and his coaching staff should be focusing on.
Despite the vast fortunes Liverpool have splurged in the last few transfer windows, the team has a chronic lack of leaders. And the one still calling the shots is now way past his best.
Virgil van Dijk has been one of the greatest defenders of his generation. But time is catching up with him. He looks his age, which is 35. Erling Haaland proved this, nipping ahead of him to meet Jeremy Doku’s cross and open the floodgates.
Yet the Dutchman isn’t even close to being Iraola’s biggest concern. His greatest problem is getting a tune out of two footballers who cost Liverpool a combined £240m. Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola were irrelevant from start to finish at Anfield.
Wirtz has been treading water at Anfield since arriving in June 2025, while Barcola is now following suit. The two look ill-equipped to deal with the physical demands of English football.
The duo resemble square pegs in round holes. Wirtz and Barcola personify the soft underbelly Liverpool have. Instead of digging deep when the team needs them to, these expensive flops barely scratch at the surface.
Great teams of the past were horrible as well as talented. Arsenal had the likes of Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown, while Manchester United had Roy Keane, Nicky Butt and Nemanja Vidic.
This Liverpool side, with the exception of Alexis Mac Allister, isn’t horrible enough. It is a soft touch. The fear factor has gone. And lesser teams than Maresca’s will be able to expose the weakness.
Something needs to change if Liverpool are to avoid more seasons of drift. Starting with the club’s recruitment.