Liverpool star Jeremie Frimpong slammed for ‘poor display’ vs Newcastle – and why his struggles could become a bigger problem | OneFootball

Liverpool played out a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in their first Premier League game of the new season.

The Reds bounced back twice through goals from Cody Gakpo and a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai to earn a hard-fought point.

Liverpool had far too many passengers from back to front. Florian Wirtz was tepid, and Rio Ngumoha was tame.

Milos Kerkez and Ryan Gravenberch also struggled, but arguably the worst of the bunch was Jeremie Frimpong, who continues to play like a novice in that right-back role.

The 25-year-old made only two defensive contributions. He won 2/7 ground duels and completed only one of his five attempted crosses.

The Liverpool right-back, who cost €35 million, lost the ball 17 times and recorded four unsuccessful touches in what was a ‘poor display‘.

After a difficult first season in Merseyside punctuated by injuries, the hope was that he would pick up the pace this term.

However, the Dutch international’s start has been quite poor and will leave Liverpool needing to answer some serious questions.

What makes Frimpong’s performance even more concerning is Liverpool’s lack of a serious alternative at right-back.

With Conor Bradley currently sidelined (since January), Reds boss Andoni Iraola has no other established option who can genuinely challenge for that position.

That leaves Frimpong under enormous pressure to find his rhythm quickly.

There is no obvious safety net if his struggles continue, and Liverpool are uninterested in entering the market for another right-back before the window closes.

That could prove to be a costly gamble. Frimpong is clearly capable of much better.

But Liverpool cannot keep waiting for him to rediscover his best form while he fails to forge a connection with any winger on that side of the pitch.

This is one position where they appear strangely exposed.

If Frimpong fails to find his groove, Liverpool could quickly discover that their lack of depth at right-back is a far bigger problem than anticipated.