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.