If you looked around Anfield at half-time on Tuesday night, you would have seen equal parts euphoria and total confusion.
The stadium was still shaking from the final kick of the opening 45 minutes a towering header from Ronald Araujo that hit the back of the net, sent the defender vaulting over the advertising boards into the crowd, and dragged Liverpool level at 2-2 in a chaotic Champions League night against Villarreal. It was a proper blood-and-thunder moment. A goal scored by a man riding a wave of pure emotion.
So, when the teams emerged for the second half and Araujo was nowhere to be seen, a collective shudder: Not another injury. Surely not.
With Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai already sidelined, the last thing anyone needed was to see our main right-back option trudging into the treatment room. But when the dust settled on an unbelievable 4-3 victory, Andoni Iraola set the record straight.
For the second game running, Iraola had pulled off his starting right-back at the interval for purely tactical reasons and his explanation reveals a massive, ongoing puzzle at the heart of this Liverpool side.
Why Araujo was hooked after his equaliser
Let’s be honest with ourselves about that first half: before Araujo’s goal, our right flank was an absolute disaster zone. Villarreal's Alberto Moleiro and Sergi Cardona were running riot in central pockets, and Araujo looked like a man being asked to solve while running at full sprint.
The Uruguayan was constantly dragged out of position, wandering into central midfield and leaving acres of green grass behind him for Villarreal to exploit.
Addressing the media after the match, Iraola offered a simple "Yes" when asked if Araujo was physically fine, before diving into why he felt compelled to make such a ruthless call:
"In the first half, it has cost us until the 2-0 to balance the game a little bit. I think in possession we’ve got much better positions from Trey [Nyoni] and Alexis [Mac Allister] to control it a little better, but without the ball they were overloading us in the middle with three holding midfielders and [Alberto] Moleiro, who basically is another midfielder coming inside. Ronald was feeling uncomfortable following all the way."
It takes a brave manager to take off a player who just scored your crucial equaliser, but Iraola refused to let sentiment override what his eyes were telling him. Araujo was struggling with the tactical brief, and Villarreal were carving us open through the middle.
Ryan Gravenberch at Right-Back?
What happened next was pure tactical roulette. Rather than sending on a traditional defender, Iraola threw on Florian Wirtz, moved Ryan Gravenberch out of the No.10 role, and slotted the Dutch midfielder into right-back.
Yes, you read that correctly. Ryan Gravenberch at right-back.
Speaking to Amazon Prime Sport, Iraola explained why he trusted the Dutchman to solve a problem that was suffocating the team:
"At the end, we thought that a player like Ryan Gravenberch could do both jobs – defensively following inside, even I think he’s good enough outside to sustain the one-v-ones. And also offensively could be a better help, for Rio [Ngumoha], attacking down the right side. We value Ryan a lot, we put him as a number 10, then as a right-back."
"The first half they were in the middle, almost proper defensive midfielders with Moleiro coming inside. They were creating, and we decided Ryan as a right-back but covering those inside positions they were having in the first half a bit. Also being more of a threat. Ronald can be [a threat] as a right-back, but [Gravenberch could] connect more with Rio."
To give credit where it's due, the gamble largely paid off. Gravenberch brought composure to our build-up play, helped stitch together passes with young Rio Ngumoha, and allowed Wirtz the freedom to push forward and ultimately score what proved to be the winning goal.
That said, Gravenberch isn't a natural defender a point proven when he failed to track Tani Oluwaseyi at the far post for Villarreal's late third goal. It was a stop-gap fix on a crazy night, but hardly a long-term tactical blueprint.
What It means for Brighton
As Liverpool fans, we are left in a very strange position. On one hand, you have to applaud Iraola’s proactive nature. A lot of managers would have waited until the 65th minute or hesitated because Araujo had just scored. Iraola sees a problem,doesn't care about feelings, and fixes it immediately.
On the other hand, the fact that our manager has had to sub his right-back at half-time against both Brentford and Villarreal shows just how unsettled that position remains under his system.
We are asking centre-backs to play like inverted wing-backs, mid-game pivots, and traditional full-backs all at once. It’s chaotic, and right now, opposition managers know it.
The good news? Araujo is fit. Having started nine consecutive games across all competitions, getting 45 minutes of rest might actually do him the world of good ahead of Sunday’s home clash against an in-form Brighton side.
With Frimpong still sidelined, Araujo will almost certainly start against the Seagulls. But if Iraola’s hybrid right-back system is going to work over a grueling season, our defenders need to get comfortable with these instructions and fast.
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