It was a treble of sorts, though not one that brought the match ball or any cause for celebration. Liverpool’s season started at Newcastle, paying tribute to a man who scored hat-tricks for both clubs, in Kevin Keegan. Ryan Gravenberch’s campaign began with passes that led to three goals. Although the inconvenient detail was that two of them were Newcastle goals.

In the Dutchman’s defence, two misplaced balls, even one from a backheel, could easily be forgotten, given that he lost the ball around 80 yards from his own goal, but for the clinical nature of Newcastle’s lightning counter-attacks. Though a contributory factor was that Liverpool’s supposedly defensive midfielder was so advanced, caught ahead of the ball when a change in manager may make it even more important he is behind it.

Andoni Iraola highlighted the potential reward entailed in the risks his side take. “I understand that Ryan Gravenberch is basically the No 6 and is on the edge of the box, and if he shoots and scores then we are saying what a play from Ryan Gravenberch,” the new head coach reflected.

“I don’t want us to take that from his game but we have to adapt as a team to these situations, we have to know these situations can happen. The second goal we did better in terms of having the numbers to defend, but we don’t make a foul or go to the first challenge. It’s not just because one person is playing there. It’s something we have to correct between a lot of players.”

There are various aspects to it; the duties of committing the tactical foul in many a team, fall to the defensive midfielder. So, too, the broader task of subduing the opposition’s No 10, and Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa was the man of the match on Sunday.

It was scarcely all Gravenberch’s fault but he feels at the heart of several issues. One is that a team should not be opened up so easily through the middle of the pitch; as Liverpool adapt to Iraola’s football, they presumably will not be.

But they were at their most secure under Arne Slot with a trio of central midfielders, or occasionally even all four of Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones; but that balance was disturbed with the introduction of Florian Wirtz and Iraola has signalled his intention to play the German as a No 10. So there will be a duo, and Szoboszlai will have the licence to get into the box. Iraola wants front-foot football, too, even if there are questions if a side spearheaded by Wirtz and Alexander Isak can press with the intensity the Basque wants.

Factor in two attack-minded full-backs who are encouraged to go forward and with defensive vulnerabilities and Gravenberch’s responsibilities seem to grow. There is a case for arguing that if three outfield players remain in position to give Liverpool a base when in possession, it should be the two centre-backs and the defensive midfielder.

There is also the debate if Gravenberch actually is one. His reinvention two years ago was Slot’s flagship success; even then, however, his compatriot had an outstanding half-season, more than an entire campaign.

It was notable last year that a technician showed the attacking side to his game more. Even as Liverpool underperformed in the Premier League, Gravenberch ended with five goals and three assists; identical figures to Wirtz, more than Isak.

Perhaps Liverpool need fewer goals from Gravenberch, not more. He had 20 shots in the top flight in 2024-25, 38 last year. They may need him further from goal. Or they may need him to be the player he was not when signed, and who they tried to buy.

It may be revisiting the increasingly ancient past, but Gravenberch was converted into a defensive midfielder after Martin Zubimendi’s 2024 volte face, when he decided to stay at Real Sociedad for another year before joining Arsenal. It remains the case that the last player Liverpool bought as a defensive midfielder was Wataru Endo in 2023.

The Japanese should retain that status. While Jones is going, no replacement is envisaged, in part because Trey Nyoni excelled in pre-season, but also because Liverpool’s money is committed elsewhere.

Their funds are being saved for the ongoing search to a successor to Mohamed Salah on the right flank. Yet, assuming one is signed, it will take Liverpool’s spending in little over a year to more than £600m, and perhaps £650m, without any of it going on a central midfielder.

It feels still more of an anomaly in the summer when so many others are buying midfielders, and often for exorbitant prices. Perhaps that lends itself to the conclusion that Gravenberch saved Liverpool a fortune. But at St James’ Park, where misjudged passes were compounded by a lack of cover and the teething troubles of new tactics, there was a soft underbelly to Liverpool’s midfield.

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Marcus Rashford and Patrick Dorgu played a half each on the left flank as Man United lost 2-0 on the opening day to Hull City

It was an opening weekend to forget for Manchester United on Humberside. The Reds were a shadow of the team that ended last season by thrashing Brighton and Hove Albion as they stumbled to a 2-0 defeat against Hull City. The first half proved to be a disaster for the Reds with Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scoring.

At the other end, United huffed and puffed but struggled to make inroads. Sensing the Reds needed a change, Michael Carrick hooked Patrick Dorgu at half-time and replaced him with Marcus Rashford. Ultimately, that decision did not impact the full-time score. However, it did place Dorgu in the firing line post-match.

When asked if he would ‘put an arm’ around the Denmark international after his half-time substitution, Carrick replied: “Pat’s fine, we love him to bits. He’s a fantastic player, Pat. He’s a great character.

“He’s a big part of what we do, and he will be. So it was just one of those decisions. It’s nothing personal. Sometimes you’ve just got to make them, you know, trying to do something a little bit different.”

United will take on Ipswich Town on Sunday with the pressure on the Reds to get off the mark. So ahead of that game, MEN Sport has analysed the performances of both Dorgu and Rashford on Saturday to decide who United should turn to this weekend.

Dorgu’s performance

Nobody was surprised to see Dorgu start on the left flank. Throughout pre-season, Carrick preferred Dorgu in that position after he excelled during the opening two matches of his interim spell in charge. However, Saturday was not his day.

One positive for Dorgu was that he at least tried to make something happen. He had three shots in the first half but, as per Opta, that represented just a 0.47 XG. Only Bryan Mbeumo offered a higher XG (0.5) in the first half for the away side. Dorgu was afforded these opportunities thanks to United’s persistence in attacking down the right flank and whipping balls towards the left.

As shown below, 48 per cent of United’s attacks were down the right flank in the first half. Dorgu’s average position was even marginally higher than Matheus Cunha’s, who was meant to be leading the line, showing the winger’s willingness to force chances for his team.

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However, his work on the ball was disappointing. He didn’t have a single successful dribble, won just two out of eight duels, didn’t win back possession at all, lost it 8 times, was booked and didn’t manage a single cross, according to Opta.

For those reasons, Dorgu underwhelmed and this explained Carrick’s thinking behind the substitution. Dorgu is learning on the job in an attacking role and this was certainly a major learning curve for the Dane.

Rashford’s performance

United switched their tactics up and looked to involve Rashford far more in the second half. Dorgu made just 11 passes for the Reds in the first half, whereas Rashford managed 24 in the second.

Attacking build-up play was more evenly split but did favour the left, with 38.3 per cent of attacking moves coming down that flank. What Opta’s data also shows us is that Rashford spent most of his time hugging that left flank. While in the first half Dorgu was rushing to get into the box to finish chances, his replacement was looking to create opportunities.

That tactic did not work particularly well though. Rashford attempted three crosses against Hull, one of which was successful. While the lack of a focal point for much of the game worked against Rashford, it was a strange decision not to stick with the first-half plan, albeit their bluntness in the opening 45 could have influenced the decision to change things.

Rashford was more involved in open play, but he did not have a single shot in the game. Had United looked to create chances for Rashford as they did Dorgu in the first half then there is every possibility he would have taken one of them.

Verdict

Heading into the Ipswich game, there could be an easy fix for United. Rashford would benefit from getting into the same kind of positions as Dorgu did on Saturday and he is a better finisher than the man he replaced at Hull.

One of Rashford’s main criticisms has been the lack of work rate at times, failing to track back and help out the defence. In theory, Dorgu could offer more of that. But Rashford did show signs that he is willing to drop deeper and do the less glamorous parts of the game to help the team, albeit it was not needed as much in the second half as Hull looked to protect their lead.

Ultimately, it did not work with Dorgu on the left and he still needs time to learn that position. As for Rashford, there were some positive signs, enough to suggest he should start over Dorgu on Sunday. But United need to play more to his strengths if they are to get the best out of him.

Olympique de Marseille has a new captain, and he’s someone who United States men’s national team fans should be very familiar with.

Marseille opened its Ligue 1 campaign against RC Strasbourg Alsace on Friday and U.S. men’s national team winger Tim Weah captained the French club in its 4-0 win. Weah started at right back and went the full 90 minutes.

Weah was a key player under Marseille’s former manager Habib Beye, but new manager Bruno Génésio has pushed Weah even more by awarding him the captain’s armband. Weah completed his permanent transfer to Marseille in June after joining the club on a season-long loan last season.

Weah wasn’t the only American to make an appearance in Friday’s match. United States men’s national team midfielder Gio Reyna also appeared as a substitute against Marseille and played 21 minutes. Reyna joined Strasbourg from Borussia Dortmund earlier this month. He wears the elusive No. 10 for the club.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has wished Cristiano Ronaldo luck as the Portugal captain moves ever so close to becoming the first player to score 1000 goals for club and country.

Ronaldo, 41, made his season debut for Al-Nassr last week in a 4-0 home win over Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League. Coming on as a second-half substitute, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored seven minutes from time to round off the scoring.

That took him to 130 goals for the Knights of Najd and 977 overall for club and country, moving to within 23 strikes of reaching four figures, a landmark he could reach next year.

During a brief meeting with the FIFA president at the Esports World Cup in Paris, Ronaldo greeted Infantino (as per BOLA VIP):

“How are you?”

Infantino responded, referring to Ronaldo’s approaching landmark:

“23 goals remaining? Good luck!”

Ronaldo’s closest challenger in the all-time list is Lionel Messi, who’s two years younger and has scored 923 times during his illustrious career. The Argentine plies his club football for Inter Miami in MLS, arriving at the Herons in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer after nearly two decades in European football.

What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo is coming off a decent campaign at what was likely his sixth and final appearance at the FIFA World Cup. The 41-year-old bagged three goals in five games in the 2026 edition in North America as Portugal lost to eventual champions Spain 1-0 in the Round of 16.

Following an extended vacation, Ronaldo missed most of Al-Nassr‘s pre-season and didn’t feature in the 3-0 home win over Al-Fateh in their opening Saudi Pro League game.

Cristiano Ronaldo also didn’t make the matchday squad in the 4-1 win at Diriyah in the King Cup of Champions Round of 32. New boss Ange Postecoglou handed Ronaldo his season debut last week in the league victory at Al-Riyadh.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is expected to feature in the Knights of Najd’s Saudi Pro League trip to Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday (August 25) as Postecoglou’s side seek to continue their perfect start to their title-defence campaign.