Milos Kerkez has quickly become one of the biggest talking points around Liverpool, and the pressure on the Hungarian left-back is only getting louder. 👀🔥
At just 22, Kerkez is still developing, but Liverpool supporters understandably expect more from a player brought in to eventually fill the void left by Andy Robertson. His performances have been inconsistent, with his defensive positioning, decision-making and tendency to play at maximum intensity attracting plenty of criticism. Jamie Carragher has even compared his chaotic style to Darwin Núñez, arguing that Kerkez sometimes appears to play everything at “100 miles an hour.”
But should Liverpool already be thinking about replacing him? 🤔 Not so fast.
Kerkez was not signed as the finished article. Reports indicate Liverpool viewed him as a young player with the skillset and character to improve, rather than someone expected to immediately be the perfect replacement for Robertson.
And there is another major factor: Andoni Iraola. 🇪🇸
The Liverpool boss already knows Kerkez from their time together at Bournemouth, and the Hungarian has openly spoken about enjoying Iraola’s system. He has been encouraged to operate higher up the pitch and attack more aggressively, meaning some of the risks in his game are connected to the demands of Liverpool’s new tactical approach.
There have already been signs that Kerkez can contribute. Against Atlético Madrid, he made a crucial aggressive challenge to win possession before helping create the move that led to Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser. At the same time, he was also involved in the defensive mistake that allowed Marcos Llorente to stay onside for Atlético’s opener. 😬
That pretty much sums up Kerkez right now: raw, aggressive, exciting… but inconsistent. ⚡
The encouraging part is that Kerkez himself admitted after Liverpool’s win over Ipswich that he was beginning to feel more comfortable in Iraola’s system and was getting more involved in the play. Liverpool also kept their first Premier League clean sheet of the campaign in that match.
So how long should Liverpool give him? ⏳
This season should be about development and consistency. Give Kerkez a substantial run of games, allow him to properly adapt to Iraola’s demands and then judge whether the defensive mistakes are being reduced.
Liverpool cannot expect perfection from a 22-year-old immediately. But patience doesn’t mean unlimited chances either. 🔴👀
If Kerkez continues making the same positional and decision-making errors deep into the season, the pressure for competition at left-back will naturally become much greater.
For now, though, the question shouldn’t simply be “Is Kerkez good enough?”
It should be:
“Can Iraola unlock the version of Kerkez Liverpool believed they were signing?” 🇭🇺🔥
Because if the answer is yes, Liverpool could have a seriously dangerous attacking full-back on their hands. 🚀🔴
