St James’ Park is rarely a comfortable place for Liverpool. Under the floodlights, with the Gallowgate in full voice, it can feel like the most hostile ground in England.
On Monday night it felt like a cauldron once more, and for 99 minutes Newcastle United were certain they had taken points off the champions.
And then Rio Ngumoha arrived — and the celebration said it all.
The youngster sprinted towards the home fans, swallowed up by teammates twice his age, while van Dijk roared in approval. Slot, normally a cool figure, clenched both fists and embraced his staff.
The 16-year-old, making his Premier League debut, wrote himself into Liverpool folklore by keeping his head when everyone else lost theirs. A through ball from Mohamed Salah, a clever dummy from Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ngumoha on his weaker foot stroked the ball past Nick Pope as though he had been doing it for a decade.
Pandemonium in the away end. Virgil van Dijk sprinting to embrace him. Arne Slot punching the air. Liverpool had found a way yet again.
But as euphoric as the victory was, and no doubt one that supporters will be talking about years from now, there are deeper issues lurking beneath the surface.
Speaking in his weekly column, former Liverpool striker John Aldridge believes Slot and Liverpool have a problem, but it’s not in defence.
“For me, the problem isn’t necessarily the defence itself, but rather the protection it receives from midfield.
The balance of the midfield isn’t quite right just yet. Yes, I know Liverpool have had players missing at the start of the season and they were without Alexis Mac Allister in the North East.”
Slot has rebuilt Liverpool’s midfield around Florian Wirtz. The German is a dazzling footballer, capable of unlocking defences with one swing of his right boot. His vision is extraordinary and confidence unquestionable, but Aldridge says he needs time to adjust.
“Part of the issue is Florian Wirtz has come in as the number 10 and is still adjusting to the physicality and pace of the Premier League.”
Liverpool fans are already seeing glimpses of why Wirtz was signed for a record-breaking fee. He drifts into spaces defenders don’t want to follow. He plays with his head up, commits players and has the daring creativity that can change a game.
The flip side is that Wirtz doesn’t yet provide what his predecessors did in terms of defensive discipline.
Where Curtis Jones or even Alexis Mac Allister offer that extra cover, Wirtz often pushes higher, leaving Ryan Gravenberch and Jones exposed. Against a team like Newcastle, who thrive on chaos and long diagonals, that’s a dangerous trade-off.
“I’ve no worries about him getting used to it. He will. But he is much more of an attacking force than any of the players who featured in the role last season, and that’s putting more defensive pressure on the other two midfielders.
Really, of those on the books, only Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo could be deemed defensive-minded, although Mac Allister isn’t too bad in that regard.
The worry for me is the defence isn’t being given the protection it needs, not least when up against a team who plays the long ball as much as Newcastle did.
We just need to get that balance right.”
Slot’s Liverpool are exhilarating going forward but too open without the ball. That may not be a fatal flaw in late August, but by the time the title race heats up it could prove costly.
The high line is a weapon when executed correctly, but when the press is broken and the midfield fails to screen, it becomes a gamble.
“There’s so much to applaud offensively but defensively – such as consistently keeping a high line – the basics aren’t quite there yet.”
Ngumoha’s name will be sung for weeks, but Slot will know the story of this season cannot be built on moments alone.
The midfield has to settle, the defensive line has to tighten, and Liverpool need to rediscover the control that made them champions.
