With their two Premier League matches opening up against the likes of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, collecting more than two points was certainly the expectation for Liverpool. However, under new manager Andoni Iraola, the Reds labored to two 2-2 draws from said fixtures, and it was a late, late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai that saved a point for Liverpool in Newcastle.
Defensively, Liverpool have not looked at their best in quite some time, and question marks have been raised with regard to both Jermie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. The pair of wing-backs are now entering their second season with the club, and while they might've each shown glimpses of their strengths, starting the season by conceding four goals on the heels of an astonishing 53 in the league is an alarming sign.
Keeping The Faith In Milos Kerkez?
At right back, there are at least contingency plans for Iraola. Szoboszlai, while he very much prefers playing in midfield, has shown he can't stand firm at right back, and Conor Bradley will eventually be reintegrated into the squad when he's fully recovered from his injury. At left back, Iraola really just has Kerkz and Kostas Tsimikas, and the former was brought in from Bournemouth last summer to be the starter for Liverpool.
On a recent episode of the Stick To Football show, former Liverpool center back Jamie Carragher riffed on why he feels Iraola and the club should be keeping the faith with Kerkez.
"They've [Liverpool] brought in Kerkez for £40m, he's had a first season, wasn't amazing. I think it is probably right when you say, 'okay, Iraola has come in from Bournemouth, he knows him.' He is our left back, let him have another year."<br>
Carragher had preceded that rant by comparing the Hungarian's style of play to Darwin Núñez's, saying he's a defensive version of the Uruguayan. "He described both players as having similar attributes in the way they charge forward relentlessly. "He's the Darwin Núñez of fullbacks. It's like, just...head down and run. Everything Kerkez does is 100 miles per hour," Carragher ranted.
The Right Ingredients For Refinement
Despite how the first two matches went for Liverpool, there's time for Kerkez to improve in the new-look back line that's added Jérémy Jacquet. He flourished under Iraola during their time together at Bournemouth, so if there's any manager worth betting on getting the Hungarian international to tick on Merseyside, it'd be him.
The player who was a bright spot in the Bournemouth team, particularly in the 2024/25 season, has not vanished, and Liverpool can still get that version of Kerkez. It's up to Iraola to try to sort things out tactically, but there are certainly Liverpool fans who share Carragher's sentiment of wanting to give the defender more time before writing him off completely.
