In brief
Liverpool won their first Premier League match of the season after overcoming a comeback from Bournemouth.
Despite their recent additions, the Reds did not appear confident during the contest.
There is already a chance that one summer acquisition could lose their spot on the squad.
Liverpool may have gotten off to a winning start in the Premier League against Bournemouth, but like with the Community Shield loss, there were a lot of unanswered concerns before, during, and after the 90 minutes as Arne Slot’s squad didn’t appear confident going into the new season.
A Liverpool player could lose their spot in the first team.
On Friday night, there were a number of unimpressive red-shirted performances. With a game-high 21 possession losses, Florian Wirtz had a gloomy start to life in the English top division, which was only made worse by Salah’s 22. In the meantime, Ibrahima Konate’s defensive play was so bad that Jamie Carragher gave him harsh criticism during commentary.
With everything going on, Milos Kerkez’s effort against his old team might have gone unnoticed. That being said, the Hungarian international could do a bit more. Jeremie Frimpong was on the other flank of Kerkez, who was one half of a new full-back duo. Trent Alexander-Arnold, the player he replaced, is not a threat to the Dutchman, but Andy Robertson is still with the team, so the same cannot be said for the left side.
With 344 games and 67 assists, the Scot has been an incredible asset to Liverpool. Although he still has a few years of his best years left at age 31, many people made snap judgments when he had one of his worst seasons during Slot’s debut campaign.
Since Kerkez started before him in the Community Shield and against Bournemouth, he has been forced to take a backseat. But in the early phases of his Liverpool career, the new youngster isn’t exactly making a statement.
“Average” would be a good way to describe his performances thus far.
He made two clearances and one each of a block, interception, and tackle at Wembley, demonstrating a respectable defensive performance. Kerkez did appear to find it difficult to adjust, though, as the Reds moved into what was practically a back six when out of possession. The same can be said for Bournemouth, although his future contribution against the Cherries was more concerning.
Bournemouth vs. Kerkez: The Stats
Even though Cody Gakpo, a left-sided attacker, was possibly Liverpool’s greatest threat of the evening, Kerkez’s offensive contributions fell short. Even though he completed 93% of his passes and was neat in possession, many of them weren’t the most dangerous. Despite having a formidable 6’3″ number nine to aim at in the middle, he only attempted one cross during the entire game. He also failed at his one attempt at a cross. He would lose possession six times in total.
Given that Robertson’s performances at both ends of the field helped establish him as one of the Premier League’s greatest left-backs ever, these dismal stats most definitely don’t measure up to the level the Scot has established in recent years. Kerkez wasn’t very powerful at the other end of the field either; he won fewer than half of his duels and made as many tackles as he was dribbled past.
Liverpool supporters have started to voice their worries. One fan wrote on X, “Kerkez looks shaky, the defence isn’t sharp at all, and they want to sell Tsimikas?” “Kerkez has had an absolute horror show,” another person stated. I wouldn’t be shocked if he took a halftime break. doesn’t assist Gakpo and offers him no defense.”
“Kerkez puts us at risk even before the card,” a third person said. “Robertson should get started,” said a fourth, echoing the sentiment: “Kerkez was having a mare.” He wasn’t up to par yet and was on a yellow. The next game must be started by Robertson.
It might be preferable to choose the guy you know has shown he can handle such a situation, especially because Liverpool’s next game is away to Newcastle, which would have been difficult enough without the Isak saga. It could be wiser to let the 21-year-old take his time and ease into his Anfield career rather than letting him take over the starting position right away.
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