Liverpool Beat Newcastle, But the Cracks Are Impossible to Ignore
Final Analysis, and a Clear Warning for What Comes Next
Not All Victories Feel the Same
Liverpool’s 3-2 win at St James’ Park was a result, but not a performance. The kind of night where you win, but walk away chewing on a strange taste. On paper, it is another three points on the board. In reality, it is a match that exposed the vulnerabilities lurking just beneath the surface of Arne Slot’s team.
Yes, they won. However, if this side harbours ambitions of defending the Premier League crown, it must find a new gear, and soon.
Control Without Conviction
From the first whistle, Liverpool didn’t control the game; they managed it. The tactics said it all. Possession was not a priority; energy conservation was. The ball was slowed, long punts were frequent, and the press was muted. Every decision was calculated to reduce the physical demands on a team that was already looking exhausted before the hour mark.
Arne Slot clearly didn’t trust his bench. He delayed substitutions until the 79th minute because he felt he had no one capable of maintaining the structure or intensity. You could see it in the players as well. They looked like a side that knew there would be no cavalry. Everyone on that pitch knew they had to see it through themselves, or not at all.
That level of constraint strangles spontaneity. Gakpo and Ekitike were muted up front, not because they lacked effort, but because the team’s entire posture was geared toward damage limitation, even at 2-0 up.
Newcastle played their part. Their press was tenacious in the first half, particularly from the front line. Liverpool’s defence, especially Alisson and Konaté, were under pressure from the off. The home side played a predictable but effective man-to-man system that disrupted Liverpool’s flow and forced them to play long, far more often than usual.
Still, Liverpool were not undone by strategy, they were undone by softness. This team was built to dictate, not to dodge.