Liverpool’s Premier League campaign begins away to Newcastle on Sunday, August 23. Their first home league game is against Nottingham Forest on August 29, with Manchester City at Anfield on October 10 and Arsenal visiting on October 31. That run is manageable on paper, but it already asks a lot of Liverpool and their right side.
Why the opening run matters
Liverpool finished 5th in the Premier League, while Newcastle ended up 12th. That does not make the opener easy, it just makes it a game Liverpool should expect to handle if they want a cleaner start than the one that ended last season, when their final five league results read DLDLW.
The bigger issue is that the right-back picture is still unsettled. Liverpool used seven different players there last season under Arne Slot, which is usually a sign that the position was patched together rather than properly nailed down. Conor Bradley is still not the kind of certainty that lets a manager forget about the role, and Jeremie Frimpong has not yet done enough to remove the noise.
Why Frimpong and Bradley leave questions open
Glen Johnson was blunt about Frimpong. “I haven't seen a great deal defensively or going forward from Jeremie Frimpong to be honest. I think it's just both been okay. But I think it's almost like he needs to decide what sort of player he wants to be and focus on it,” he said to liverpoolecho.co.uk.
That view is backed by the numbers available here. Frimpong’s average rating across his last five matches is 6.6, which is fine but not convincing for a position Liverpool keep having to solve. Johnson went even further on the standard required, saying: “At the minute, it's kind of like six out of ten at everything and if you want to be Liverpool's right back or even a top right back in the league, that's not good enough.”
Bradley is the other part of the equation. He suffered a serious knee injury in early January and was ruled out for the rest of the season. No return date has been publicly set, and that leaves Liverpool with no obvious answer they can trust from the start.
There is a fair argument that Frimpong needs more time to settle after his £29.5m move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. Johnson put that more gently too, saying: “I hope it's just a slow start. People take different times to settle in and confidence can come and go. So hopefully it's just been a lack of confidence, maybe he didn't realise how quick and powerful the Premier League is.”
Still, Liverpool do not really have the luxury of waiting around. The fixtures are landing early, the right-back role is still unresolved, and the first weeks of the season will show whether Frimpong can sharpen up quickly or whether Liverpool end up back in the same conversation they had for much of last season.
FAQ
Will Liverpool’s opening fixtures put early pressure on Andoni Iraola?
Yes. Liverpool begin away to [Newcastle](club:newcastle) on Sunday, August 23, then host [Nottingham Forest](club:nottingham-forest) on August 29. [Manchester City](club:liverpool) come to Anfield on October 10 and [Arsenal](club:arsenal) visit on October 31, so the first weeks already look demanding.
Is Jeremie Frimpong ready to make Liverpool’s right-back role his own?
The evidence is mixed rather than decisive. Glen Johnson said he has not seen much from [Jeremie Frimpong](player:jeremie-frimpong) defensively or going forward, while Frimpong’s average rating over his last five matches is 6.6. That is serviceable, but not the level Liverpool want in a nailed-on right-back.
Why is Conor Bradley’s injury such a problem for Liverpool?
[Conor Bradley](player:conor-bradley) suffered a serious knee injury in early January and was ruled out for the rest of the season. No return date has been publicly set, so Liverpool cannot plan around him as a guaranteed option at right-back.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →