Liverpool's Transformation After Salah: Iraola's New Tactics
Two months on from Mohamed Salah’s departure and Anfield is still learning how to breathe without its Egyptian heartbeat. The old patterns down the right have gone. In their place, Andoni Iraola is trying something far more radical than a like-for-like swap.
He has moved the entire attack.
Barcola flips the script
Instead of hunting for another left-footed right winger to mimic Salah, Liverpool went all-in on Bradley Barcola. The Frenchman arrived from Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history, backed by the numbers: 13 goals and seven assists last season.
But he is no Salah clone.
Barcola is right-footed, happiest when he starts on the left and drives infield. Where Salah used to cut in from the right onto his left, Barcola now does the reverse from the opposite flank. The whole attacking axis has shifted, Liverpool’s danger now tilting heavily towards that left side.
That creates a new problem.
A crowded left, an empty right
Liverpool are stacked with left wingers. Four of them. On the right? Not a single natural option after the summer window slammed shut.
The imbalance has already shown. Teenage prospect Rio Ngumoha was thrown in on the right against Newcastle and found it hard going. Cody Gakpo then tried to patch the role against Nottingham Forest and did only marginally better.
Iraola, though, sees a different answer.
He believes new signing Víctor Munoz can unlock that flank.
“Víctor has played more games on the left in his career but has maybe been even better on the right,” Iraola said before Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Ipswich Town. It was a clear hint: the new man could become the specialist this system badly needs.
Munoz now, Ngumoha later
Munoz looks tailor-made for the immediate task, yet Iraola refuses to abandon the long-term plan for Ngumoha. The teenager remains central to his vision of a flexible, interchangeable front line.
“We know Rio can play on the left and showed his qualities,” Iraola insisted. “He needs to develop on the right so it gives him more options to play. He is so young. [But] because he wasn't incredible in the first game on the right, we can't say he will never play on the right anymore.”
It is a manager drawing a line in the sand: short-term fixes are welcome, but not at the expense of a young player’s evolution.
Isak waiting for service
All of this experimentation will be put under the spotlight when Liverpool face Ipswich Town on Friday. The tactical puzzle is not just about wide players; it directly affects the man in the middle.
Alexander Isak, the physically imposing Swede, is at his most dangerous inside the box. He thrives on crosses, cut-backs and early deliveries. A more orthodox right winger, someone who hugs the touchline and whips the ball in, could transform his output.
The right flank, once Salah’s stage, is now the key to unlocking Liverpool’s new No 9.
Gakpo’s fight for relevance
Amid the reshuffle, Cody Gakpo’s role has come under scrutiny. Manchester City and Tottenham both showed late interest in the Dutchman during the summer, but Liverpool held firm. Iraola still sees him as a vital part of the squad.
Gakpo will have to scrap for minutes, though, as Barcola cements the left, Munoz pushes for the right, and Ngumoha is nurtured as a long-term project across the line.
Liverpool are no longer built around one superstar cutting in from the right. The system is being torn down and rebuilt in real time.
Ipswich will offer the next clue: is this just an awkward transition phase, or the start of a front line that can live – and thrive – without Salah?
