Liverpool’s midfield hub has been criticized for failing in duels, slowing down attacks and failing to feed the front four. Tactical adjustments or transfers to Stiller and Kamara were suggested as solutions.
Liverpool’s toothless display against Fulham wasn’t a one-off bad day; it exposed a long-term, systemic flaw in the engine room of this team. The defensive double of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch has been starving the front four, and unless Andoni Iraola fundamentally changes this set-up, it will continue to hinder Liverpool’s ability to compete in the top flight.
To maintain pressure in the modern game, the midfield pivot must dominate transitions. Instead, Liverpool’s axis is often actually transcended. Against Fulham, they have won just five of 17 duels, with Szoboszlai’s duel success rate reaching an astonishing 10%. You can’t trigger quick counterattacks or trap the opposing team in your own half when your center pairing consistently fails in most of their individual battles.
Facing a disciplined central defence, the top pivot must break up the defensive shape with sharp, line-breaking vertical passes or quick diagonal passes to isolated wingers. Instead, Liverpool’s current combination plays extremely risk-averse football. By having multiple touches of the ball and constantly passing possession backwards or short to the centre-backs, the tempo will drop. This predictable rhythm gives the opponent’s defensive structure time to shift, scramble, and recover at any time.
The end result of this slow playmaking is that by the time the ball actually gets to Florian Wirtz, Bradley Bakla or Victor Munoz, opponents have thrown eight or nine players into the stiff post. Without crisp, instant serves from the backcourt, these elite creative players are forced to receive the ball with their backs to the goal under intense pressure. This left Alexander Isak completely isolated at the top as the ball took a long time to complete its stages.
The team must come first and an immediate internal tactical shift could solve this problem without waiting for the transfer window. By moving Szoboszlai to right-back as an inverted defender, Illaura can completely reshape the team’s shape. In possession, Szoboszlai can move into the midfield pivot, creating an overload in the middle and providing cover for Wirtz. This blueprint simply requires a defensively disciplined left-back to tuck inside and form a solid three-man wall with the centre-backs in transition.
If Illaura prefers a permanent market solution that won’t destabilize the defence, then signings of Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller and Monaco’s Lamine Kamara for £95m-£100m would be the ultimate value options. Stiller serves as the premier breaking line metronome, feeding the front four players their first touch of the ball, while Kamara brings an elite 70% duel success rate and a natural tendency to lean to the right, providing the precise wide-coverage security blanket needed while the club takes its time to find a permanent right winger.
If your midfield needs three or four touches to move the ball five yards, you’re not going to be able to attack a disorganized defence. Whether Illaura utilizes a reverse Szoboszlai to unlock Wertz or builds a new engine room around Stiller and Kamara, the goal is the same: inject instant rhythm, win physical battles, and give the top four the service they deserve.
Discuss rumors and transfers on our page
.