NEWCASTLE, England -- Welcome to Liverpool, Andoni Iraola.
The Reds' new head coach has been in his post for almost two months now, but surely no training session or preseason clash could've been so illustrative of the scale of the task facing him at Anfield than Sunday's last-gasp 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
As is often the case when these two sides meet, Liverpool and Newcastle conspired to serve up a Premier League classic to usher in a new era for their respective clubs. While Newcastle supporters should be heartened by the spirit and endeavour shown in their first Premier League game under Matthias Jaissle, those of a Liverpool persuasion will have been frustrated to discover many of the problems that dogged their team under Arne Slot last season have not gone away despite a change in the dugout.
A disjointed attack, porous midfield and a lack of quality depth all played a part in Liverpool's flawed showing at St James' Park, with Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time sparing Iraola's side the ignominy of an opening day defeat. With just eight days left to go before the transfer window slams shut, it is clear this is a squad that is in desperate need of reinforcements.
Perhaps it was fitting, though, that this encounter was so engrossing, given that both sets of supporters paid a poignant tribute to the late, great Kevin Keegan before kickoff. An icon as a player at both Anfield and St. James' Park, arguably Keegan's greatest legacy as a manager is his assembly of "The Entertainers" -- the vivacious Newcastle side of the 1990s.
Certainly, onlookers would have struggled not to be entertained by this contest. Buoyed by the emotion of the occasion, Newcastle started on the front foot and took the lead inside five minutes through a cool finish from Anthony Elanga. Worryingly for Liverpool, the goal was set into motion when Ryan Gravenberch gave the ball away on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area, opening the door for William Osula to set Elanga away.
There were contrasting fortunes, however, for the Sweden forward's international teammate, Alexander Isak, who failed to impress on his return to Tyneside. Having signed for Liverpool from Newcastle following a protracted and acrimonious saga last summer, the 26-year-old was given a predictably hostile reception at St James' Park, with his every movement booed even before a ball was kicked.
Isak's injury struggles last term largely protected him from intense scrutiny on Merseyside, but Liverpool fans will expect much more of their £125-million man going forward than what he showed here. His most notable contribution was a blazed effort over the bar in the second half.
Instead, it fell to Cody Gakpo to restore parity for the visitors via a well-placed strike from distance. The future of the Netherlands international remains up in the air as Liverpool continue their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, however he showed against Newcastle why the Reds would be ill-advised to sanction his exit, particularly to a rival such as Tottenham Hotspur.
Gakpo's delight did not last long as, only 157 seconds after his strike, Newcastle found themselves in front again - - this time through a fine finish from substitute Joe Willock. It is the first time Liverpool have conceded two goals from fast breaks in the same game since last August, when Iraola's AFC Bournemouth side struck twice in quick succession at Anfield in what ultimately ended up a 4-2 win for the hosts.
"It's not just personnel," Iraola said of his team's midfield struggles. "I understand that Ryan Gravenberch is basically the No. 6 and is on the edge of the box, and if he shoots and scores then we are saying, 'What a play from Ryan Gravenberch.' I don't want us to take that from his game but we have to adapt as a team to these situations, we have to know these situations can happen.
"The second goal we did better in terms of having the numbers to defend, but we don't make a foul or go to the first challenge. It's not just because one person is playing there. It's something we have to correct between a lot of players."
There were some positives for Liverpool to take -- chiefly the performances of substitutes Ronald Araújo and Víctor Muñoz, with the latter drawing a foul from Lewis Hall to win the stoppage-time penalty. Scoring late goals has long been one of the Reds' specialties and it will have been pleasing for Iraola to see that trend continue here.
"That we will never give up, that's for sure, I can guarantee," goalscorer Szoboszlai told Sky Sports when asked to sum up what he learnt from Liverpool's first game under their new head coach.
"We have to fight, we have to fight every time, all day long, during the 95 minutes. Everybody who comes off the bench, as you see today, they made a big impact as well. Victor had his first minutes in the Premier League, made [won] a penalty already. So, we need the whole squad and we have to be ready."
How different that squad will look when the transfer window closes on Sep. 1 remains to be seen. While Liverpool's priority is strengthening in wide areas, Sunday's performance highlighted the need for some steel in midfield as well as quality depth to help navigate the rigours of competing on four fronts.
A busy week lies ahead. For Iraola and for Liverpool, there is plenty of work to do.