Gerrard's Warning: Liverpool's Midfield Lacks a True Holding Midfielder
Steven Gerrard has fired a pointed warning at Liverpool’s hierarchy, insisting the squad remains structurally flawed without a true holding midfielder at its core.
The former Liverpool captain, now a prominent voice on TNT Sports, believes the club’s failure to properly replace Fabinho is a glaring issue that could undermine Andoni Iraola’s debut campaign at Anfield.
Gerrard’s blunt verdict on Liverpool’s midfield
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, Gerrard did not bother softening his assessment 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’s 2-2 draw at St James’ Park may have produced a point, but it also exposed a soft underbelly. Every time possession was turned over in the middle third, Newcastle broke with ease, carving through a side that looked vulnerable and disorganised without a natural shield in front of the back four.
The pattern rang alarm bells for Gerrard, who sees a structural problem rather than a one-off wobble.
"I think that position's been sorely missed, I don't think they've got a specialist in that position," he continued. "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."
For Gerrard, the logic is simple: without a proper No. 6, Liverpool’s more creative midfielders are shackled, the back line is exposed, and the team’s balance never quite settles.
Iraola inherits an expensive puzzle
All of this lands on Iraola’s desk at a complicated moment in the club’s recent history.
The pressure on the Spaniard is intense, not because of his own spending, but because of what came before. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool sanctioned around £250 million on a sweeping rebuild last summer, dragging in marquee names such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and youngster Giovanni Leoni.
The bill was enormous. The return was not. That record outlay failed to deliver a successful Premier League title defence, and Slot paid with his job.
Now Iraola must somehow knit together a dressing room shaped by someone else’s blueprint, while also coping with the quiet exodus of experience. Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson have all departed on free transfers, stripping away leadership and familiarity from a squad still trying to find its new identity.
In that context, Gerrard’s call for a specialist defensive midfielder feels less like a minor tweak and more like a demand for the missing piece.
Centre-back numbers rise, but one big question
Gerrard, though, did strike a more positive note when he turned his attention to the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
With fresh faces brought in to cover the loss of senior figures, he believes centre-back is one of the few departments where Liverpool can genuinely claim to have strengthened in depth.
"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?"
It’s a sharp distillation of Liverpool’s situation. At the back, they finally have options. In front of that defence, the hole remains.
As Iraola prepares for the long grind of his first Premier League season at Anfield, the question lingers over the entire project: can Liverpool really challenge at the very top without the specialist No. 6 Gerrard insists they “miss badly”?
