Liverpool's Tactical Shift After Salah: Iraola's New Approach

Just a little over two months after Mohamed Salah walked away, Liverpool are still learning how to attack without the man who defined their right flank for years. The solution under new manager Andoni Iraola isn’t a like-for-like replacement. It’s a full-scale rewire.

Instead of hunting for another left-footed wide forward to mimic Salah’s trademark move inside from the right, Liverpool have flipped the script. The club pushed hard and paid big to land Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, making him one of the most expensive signings in their history.

He comes with numbers that justify the outlay: 13 goals and seven assists last season. But he’s no Salah clone. Barcola is right-footed and far more dangerous when he drifts in from the left, turning Liverpool’s old attacking pattern on its head.

That shift has created a new problem on the opposite side.

Liverpool now boast four players who prefer the left wing and not a single natural right winger in the senior squad after the summer window slammed shut. The left is crowded. The right is a puzzle.

We saw the growing pains. Teenage prospect Rio Ngumoha looked uncomfortable on the right against Newcastle, struggling to influence the game from an unnatural station. Cody Gakpo, asked to do a similar job against Nottingham Forest, fared only marginally better. The imbalance was obvious.

Iraola, though, thinks he has a more immediate answer.

Víctor Munoz, one of the club’s newer faces, has caught his eye as a potential fix for that vacant right 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’s a telling line. Munoz brings versatility and, crucially, a profile that can stretch the pitch on that side rather than constantly cutting in. For a team trying to rediscover its rhythm in the final third, that matters.

Still, Iraola isn’t about to abandon the development of his youngsters just to plug gaps. He remains determined to mould Ngumoha into a two-sided threat, even if the early signs on the right have been uneven.

“We know Rio can play on the left and showed his qualities,” he said. “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.”

That’s the tightrope: results now, growth later.

Ipswich Town on Friday will offer another snapshot of how quickly Liverpool can walk it. Iraola has to find the right blend fast if this team is to stay ruthless in front of goal.

A more orthodox right winger, someone who attacks the byline and delivers early, direct balls, could transform the service into the box. That’s especially true for Alexander Isak. The Swedish striker is built to dominate in the penalty area, a classic penalty-box presence who comes alive when crosses and cut-backs arrive on time. Starve him, and Liverpool’s attack looks blunt. Feed him, and the whole system suddenly makes sense.

Amid all this tactical experimentation, Cody Gakpo still looms large. The Dutchman drew serious late-window interest from Manchester City and Tottenham, yet stayed put and remains a key figure in Iraola’s plans. He will scrap for minutes across the front line as Liverpool feel their way through this new era.

The shape is changing, the roles are evolving, and the right flank remains the great unanswered question. How quickly Iraola solves it may define Liverpool’s season.