When you stand on the Kop or watch on television or Anfield, you expect those on the touchline to hold their nerve when all hell breaks loose on the pitch.
As supporters, we are allowed to lose our heads. When referee Chris Kavanagh flashed a second yellow card at Ryan Gravenberch in the 62nd minute of Sunday’s bitter 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, every single one of us inside Anfield was probably screaming at the television.
The initial booking on Elliot Anderson was never a yellow card in a million years. But while fans have every right to feel furious, the men getting paid millions in the technical area cannot afford to behave like spectators.
Analysing the post-match breakdown on Sky Sports’Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher spoke some truth right where it hurts.
The Reds icon didn't just point fingers at the match officials he shone a harsh spotlight on Andoni Iraola and his coaching staff for a touchline farce that left us completely exposed before Manchester City striker Erling Haaland struck the decisive blow to make it 1-0.
What Carragher spotted on the touchline
Gravenberch had arguably been Liverpool's best player for the opening hour, driving through midfield and giving City's midfield endless problems. But the moment he made contact with Jeremy Doku and received his marching orders, absolute chaos descended on the home bench.
Carragher broke down the video footage on MNF, exposing a damning sequence of events off the ball:
"When I was in commentary I was looking at it thinking Ryan Gravenberch seemed to stay on the pitch for an awful long time," Carragher explained on Sky Sports. "When we have looked at and analysed it today, I think the Liverpool bench have got to do better. I said in commentary it is obvious what the change would be, it would be Wirtz coming off for a midfielder."
"The manager's head's gone, I understand. He's like a fan. He was like anyone in that stadium. He was thinking about the decision."
For those of us watching, it was obvious what needed to happen. Liverpool were down to ten men against a ruthless City side. You shut up shop, pull off an attacking midfielder like Florian Wirtz, bring on 19-year-old Trey Nyoni, and plug the massive hole in central midfield immediately.
nstead, the camera panned to Iraola locked in a frantic chat with Victor Munoz while Gravenberch trudged off.Time stood still and City took full advantage.
What unfolded next left Carragher utterly baffled.
"Now at 50 seconds, he's gone to call the guy he wants to come on," Carragher continued. "That should have happened a lot earlier. Now, we'll go and show the goal. It didn't affect the goal, it wasn't like Wirtz was at fault or anything like that.
But I just think the frustration, that should have happened 30 seconds ago, and if the manager has lost his head a bit, he's involved in the game, that's where you want one of your coaching staff, as soon as that red card is taken on his shoulder, what are we doing? What's the plan now?"
The failure wasn't just on Iraola's shoulders it extended directly to the substitutes' bench.
"We've seen him after about 50 seconds calling Nyoni back," Carragher fumed. "My frustration here is, after a minute and 15 seconds, he's not got his shirt on! Now, whether players don't have the shirt on, they don't have the pads on. They're not ready!"
"The manager's head has gone"@Carra23 and Steve Cooper look Ryan Gravenberch's red card against Man City 🟥 pic.twitter.com/DIV6lBRkYL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 12, 2026
Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, guesting alongside Carragher on MNF, admitted that seeing substitutes unready to step on the pitch is a coach’s worst nightmare:
"It can happen," Cooper acknowledged. "And for a coach, it's a nightmare. So many things to plan for... the last thing you want to be saying to the subs in the dressing room is make sure you're ready to go on. You would hope that would be the case."
Carragher, however, refused to let Liverpool off the hook:
"At elite level, there is nothing higher than this in terms of football," Carragher insisted. "So, I understand the manager's head's gone, it's a bit frazzled with the decision, but someone has got to get this sorted quicker."
Before Nyoni could finally get his shirt pulled over his head and get onto the pitch to replace Wirtz, Erling Haaland latched onto a ball in the 65th minute to break the deadlock. Less than three minutes after the red card, the game was turned on its head and Liverpool completely collapsed.
What It means for Liverpool going forward
As fans, we can all sympathise with Iraola's rage. The initial yellow card handed to Gravenberch was ridiculously soft, and reduced-ten-man scenarios against a side of City’s calibre are almost impossible to navigate.
However, Carragher’s critique highlights a harsh truth that Iraola must address fast. At Anfield, margins are paper-thin. When a red card drops, the manager and his backroom staff cannot freeze or act like fans in the stands.
With LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday and Brentford away on Saturday, Liverpool have no time to dwell on what went wrong on the touchline. Iraola and his bench must ensure that when crisis strikes again, everyone in a Red shirt and on the bench is ready to act instantly.
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