Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Liverpool 2 Nottingham Forest 2 in the 2026-2027 Premier League at Anfield…
IT’S another two all and Liverpool just have to stop going behind.
The going behind is the defining issue for the second game in succession and this Liverpool side has now conceded four goals in two games that have all surrendered parity and all can be described as “bloody stupid”.
Today we see that Florian Wirtz at least has learned from last week’s bloody stupid concession of a goal in picking up his yellow card. But Liverpool need to learn and learn fast. It’s a hard sport, this, when you make it easy for your opponents.
The second has the ridiculous context of the substitutes board not working and Liverpool not being able to make changes on three occasions.
The positives are obvious. The two new signings of Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet. The gentle rebirth of Cody Gakpo. The increased amount of presence of Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is unlucky not to be walking out with a goal and an assist. There is no appeal whatsoever when his strike hits the back of the net and the referee calls the captains together to explain why it hasn’t been given. Wirtz stays involved, keeps having his touches tick over, mostly stays close to goal. It’s a good performance that deserves a little more.
He gets the assist for Munoz but the strike bulges in the memory. Underside of the bar filth from the new boy who was keen as mustard, keen as onions, keen on toast. Loved him. I have written and spoken a lot about Liverpool enjoying games of football or not enjoying them. This kid plays with sheer exuberance in a way I had forgotten what it looks like. He was like taking off tight shoes.
Isak gets the goal which justifies everything but Gakpo was provider in a way which offered a ton of encouragement. He makes the pitch big, beats his man and all round does well.
There’s the idea Liverpool attack with a 2-4-4. The centre-backs and the front four all play well today. Alexis Mac Allister’s first-half – first 20 in particular – was encouraging. But the rest of that middle four were some combination of poor to dreadful.
Milos Kerkez does not look unleashed by the new manager. He looks constantly unsure where he should be and when he gets there his delivery hits some sweet spot of poor and ponderous. It’s infrequent, slow and not very good.
Jeremie Frimpong struggled again. On a few occasions he shows that ability to get to the byline but just finds himself second best far too often. None of this is through a lack of effort or engagement.
Dominik Szoboszlai was poorer in centre-mid than Frimpong was at fullback. Both could have come off but Liverpool don’t have a cover right-back as it stands. In terms of being ponderous, the only thing the Hungarian captain does quickly is run and being fair to him he does so relentlessly. He works his socks off. He repeatedly refuses the riskier ball but supplements this by giving it away stupidly on multiple occasions first-half.
There’s a clear solution here. Play Szoboszlai right-back and buy another centre-midfielder who has gifts the manager can use; one who passes and dictates tempo brilliantly or one who tackles and protects brilliantly. Szoboszlai does neither well and hasn’t for the whole of his Liverpool career. Last season he may well have been Liverpool’s best player but he is exactly the sort of footballer who is Liverpool’s best player in one of Liverpool’s terrible seasons. None of this is off the back of one game but watching the player since his arrival. Right-back could be the making of him – everywhere else, he looks a square peg in a round hole, ironically.
Both Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni come on and offer more. I love Nyoni in the role. Constantly behind the ball, constantly working but constantly letting the ball do the work.
There is thinking to do, coaching to do, work to do and buying to do. The Reds can build on these last two games but it needs everyone pulling in the right direction and it may need thinking outside the box. That isn’t ideal for a new manager but now could be the time to make big calls.
Because it can’t be like last season. And at the minute it still feels a little too much like it. Daft goals, going behind and right-back chat.
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