Arne Slot was right to stand firm — now Liverpool star is rewarding faith amid Reds’ revival

The Liverpool head coach said after the FA Cup win over Brighton that the Reds are progressing. While supporters will be wary of "corner-turning" moments this season, one player's development is cause for optimism

Arne Slot's patience shown with Milos Kerkez is being rewarded

Arne Slot chose his words carefully. Too often this season his comments have been taken out of context.

And after his Liverpool side easily dispatched Brighton & Hove Albion, he opted against any remarks that could be mistaken for overconfidence. Slot praised Brighton, warned the game could have unfolded differently had they taken their chances, and pointed again to the fine margins that have defined Liverpool’s season.

Then came the pointed message after a commanding 3-0 FA Cup win. His Liverpool team is improving. “I think it's fair for me to say that this team has made a proper development throughout the last few months,” he told TNT Sports.

This is not a new stance from Slot; in fact, it’s an opinion that he has trotted out several times in recent weeks. Opinions vary on the extent to which the Reds are developing, and Liverpool supporters have seen corner-turning results precede disappointing defeats too often this season, but after wins over Brighton and Sunderland this week, it’s hard to disagree with Slot’s verdict.

His every decision has been dissected over the campaign, and there was a period when every choice seemed to backfire. That is no longer the case. Dropping Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike on Saturday, switching formation and selecting Curtis Jones at right-back all paid dividends.

The latter’s redeployment in defense could become a more common occurrence in the final months of the campaign, with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley injured. The selection addresses two problems facing Slot: giving Jones more regular minutes and allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to reprise his preferred midfield role.

The 25-year-old has excelled wherever he has played this season, but to maximize Szoboszlai’s all-action style, his selection in midfield feels like a must.

Szoboszlai was on target again in Liverpool's FA Cup win over Brighton

If the Hungarian has been Liverpool’s benchmark performer this season, perhaps his international team-mate best embodies the upturn Slot referenced. Milos Kerkez’s continued selection mystified supporters earlier this campaign; now few would question his guaranteed starting berth.

Against Brighton, he showed signs of why Liverpool was willing to part with £40 million ($54M) last summer for the left-back. He provided the game’s opening goal with a powerful back-post cross that Jones tapped in just before the break. That was his second assist since signing from Bournemouth, with the previous coming in the win over Newcastle United two weeks ago.

That alone offers a small barometer of his development, but he also tested Jason Steele in the early stages and impressed defensively. Only Alexis Mac Allister completed more tackles for Liverpool in the fourth-round victory, while no-one produced more interceptions against the Seagulls.

Beyond the numbers, Kerkez simply looks sharper. He’s snapping into tackles, flying down the wing, while the errors that so infuriated Virgil van Dijk earlier this season have dissipated.

“I think it is pretty clear you definitely see an improvement,” the Liverpool captain said after the game. “He is still so young and is getting used to being a Liverpool player, but with the help of Robbo [Andy Robertson] and the rest of the team and his own development, I think he is making big progress.”

Kerkez impressed again against Brighton

The mention of Robertson is telling. Many felt that the experienced defender should have been selected ahead of Kerkez in the early months of the season. Yet Slot stood by a player he feels can occupy that role for the next decade at Liverpool, and is now reaping the rewards.

He will also point to the refinements in Florian Wirtz’s game as another example of how the team is developing in his image. The first half against Sunderland, when Liverpool looked defensively secure but had 14 shots and amassed 69 percent of possession, felt like the first glimpse of what the Dutchman has been building toward over this long winter.

The key to Liverpool’s success this season, and whether it can ultimately lift silverware, will be determined by the displays of the Reds’ summer signings and last season’s star performers.

So how relieved will Slot have felt to see Mohamed Salah back to his commanding best? He scored, assisted Szoboszlai and won a penalty, all while contributing to Liverpool’s defensive output.

This was among his best performances in what has been such a disheartening campaign, and, much like Kerkez, there was a hunger burning behind his smile that has been absent for months.

Liverpool will resist the temptation to overreact to one win, but two dominant displays in a week offer tangible evidence of progress. With eight days to prepare for the trip to Nottingham Forest, nothing less than three points is expected at the City Ground.

Against a side Slot has never beaten, next week could offer a more telling insight into how far this team has really come.