Steven Gerrard's Warning on Liverpool's Midfield Flaws

Steven Gerrard has fired a pointed warning at Liverpool’s hierarchy, insisting the squad remains structurally flawed without a specialist defensive midfielder at its core.

The former Anfield captain, now a prominent voice on TNT Sports, believes the failure to properly replace Fabinho is a glaring issue that could undermine Andoni Iraola’s debut campaign in the dugout.

Gerrard’s No. 6 alarm

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, Gerrard did not bother to sugar-coat his view of the current midfield mix.

"There's one area that hasn't really had much focus, only really in the last week since the Newcastle game. I believe they need a specialist in the No. 6 position, that's my opinion," he said.

That Newcastle game is still fresh in his mind. Liverpool escaped St James’ Park with a 2-2 draw, but the scoreline masked a worrying pattern. Every time they lost the ball in the middle third, Newcastle poured through them. Counters cut straight through the centre of the pitch, exposing a soft underbelly where Fabinho once patrolled.

The late equaliser may have calmed the mood, yet for Gerrard it only highlighted how fragile the structure looks without a true anchor.

‘They miss that position badly’

Gerrard went deeper into why he sees that role as non-negotiable for a side with Liverpool’s attacking talent.

"I think that position's been sorely missed, I don't think they've got a specialist in that position. That can allow your [Dominik] Szoboszlai's and your [Ryan] Gravenberch's and your [Alexis] Mac Allister's to go and join attacks, to make the back four secure. I think they miss that position badly."

It is a simple equation in his eyes: without a natural No. 6, the flair players are shackled and the back four is left exposed. With one, the whole system breathes.

Right now, Liverpool are trying to improvise their way through it. Gerrard’s message is that improvisation at the base of midfield is not a sustainable plan for a side with title ambitions.

Iraola inherits an expensive puzzle

The scrutiny on Iraola is fierce. He has not walked into a blank-canvas rebuild; he has inherited the consequences of one.

Under Arne Slot, Liverpool spent around £250m on a sweeping overhaul last summer. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and youngster Giovanni Leoni all arrived in a statement of intent.

The return on that investment was brutal: no successful defence of the Premier League title and, ultimately, Slot’s departure.

Iraola now has to solve a squad that is both lavishly assembled and oddly incomplete. The exits of senior figures Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson on free transfers have only deepened the sense of transition. Experience has gone out of the door. The wage bill has shifted. The spine is being reimagined on the fly.

Gerrard’s concern is that, in all that churn, the most important piece at the base of midfield has been left conspicuously blank.

Numbers at the back, questions at the top

Not every department draws the same criticism from the former captain. At centre-back, he sees at least one clear positive.

With new defenders drafted in to cover the departures, Liverpool finally look stocked in terms of pure numbers in the heart of defence.

"I think in terms of numbers now, they're better than they were last year. Konate has moved on, we wish him luck, he's done a great job. We've now got four or five centre-backs, so volume, I think they're secure. I think the key is: is Jacquet going to be good enough?"

That final line cuts to the heart of Liverpool’s next phase. The club has filled shirts at centre-back. It has spent heavily on attacking and creative talent. Yet the question of whether a young defender like Jacquet can grow into a genuine pillar mirrors the wider doubt over the squad’s balance.

The structure is almost there. The talent is undeniable. But until Liverpool find the right guardian for that No. 6 role, Gerrard clearly believes the whole project rests on shaky ground.