Jamie Carragher says Liverpool needs to have a more balanced roster, with head coach Andoni Iraola requiring some more transfers to fully realize his vision at Anfield

So far this season, Liverpool has shown signs of heading in the right direction under Andoni Iraola, but has fallen short when it comes to facing the teams whose level it wants to reach: Manchester City and Arsenal.

The defeat to Fenerbahce was different — rotation there, in a match where the result wasn't that important, was the correct call — but it did expose some limitations.

"I think what it reinforces for the supporters is that the squad Liverpool has got is very expensive but not as good as it should be, and not as balanced as it should be," Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports.

"And when you think of some of those players that have come in, what’s a little worry for, not so much the manager, but the people who run the club. I spoke about Trey Nyoni being the best player for Liverpool. Well, him and Rio Ngumoha, another young player, were the best players for Liverpool and they were a week or so ago against Chelsea.

"But they also play in the position of players where Liverpool have spent big money. So Bradley Barcola has come in for £120M; he played up front and didn’t play well, but the younger players are playing better than him.

"And Nyoni in midfield, Liverpool haven’t spent expensively on a player as such, but they’ve given big contracts this summer to Ryan Gravenberch, who was left out at the weekend, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who played there (against Fenerbahce) and didn’t play particularly well."

But what does Liverpool need to transform its roster and give Iraola the kind of balanced team that he requires? There are a couple of areas that appear to be most noticeably lacking.

Without Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, Liverpool does not have enough depth in attack. Hugo Ekitike will return from injury at some point in the next few months, but without him, the Reds look light.

Szoboszlai didn't perform that well as a number 10 and ended up at right-back in Istanbul, while Barcola looked lost and Lewis Koumas has stepped up well at times, but is not necessarily a long-term fix.

Out wide, with Barcola, Rio Ngumoha, Victor Munoz and Cody Gakpo, Liverpool has decent depth. Adding someone else who can fill in for either Isak or Wirtz, though, would go a long way.

Elsewhere, Liverpool's midfield still lacks the right balance, but there is an added conundrum: a decision must be made on Alexis Mac Allister's contract.

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At center-back, a similar issue could emerge with Virgil van Dijk's future to be determined, plus the decision on whether or not to trigger the $63 million (£47 million) option on Ronald Araujo.

There are enough numbers in each of those positions, with some reshuffling required rather than additional bodies. But at full-back, there are bigger problems.

Neither Milos Kerkez nor Kostas Tsimikas have been fully convincing yet at left-back, while on the other side, Conor Bradley has been out injured for months and Jeremie Frimpong is still to settle.

With an extra attacker and some big decisions to be made in defense, Liverpool can further improve the tools that Iraola has at his disposal. It might, though, take another couple of transfer windows.