1 week ago
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Liverpool's recent struggles have put Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz firmly into the firing line. Three league defeats on the bounce have turned the spotlight squarely on the expensively-acquired duo, who are yet to have the desired effect — Wirtz even dropped out of the lineup for two of the three losses.
Milos Kerkez, on the other hand, has retained his place. But while a lower fee has allowed him to keep a slightly lower profile when it comes to public scrutiny, you could argue that the Hungarian has had the hardest time of all the new signings.
Signed as the heir to Andy Robertson, Liverpool boss Arne Slot has wasted no time in putting that plan into action. Kerkez has started every Premier League game so far, despite stinging criticism from the likes of Gary Neville.
Neville accused Kerkez of playing "like a 10-year-old" following the recent defeat to Man Utd. And while that's obviously harsh, it's clear that the 21-year-old has looked way out of his depth.
Presumably, Slot is of the mind that Kerkez just needs to play his way into form while he gets used to a new system and new surroundings. He will also be mindful that Robertson is 31, so the club has a vested long-term interest in making the transition.
But while everyone still hopes that the torch can be passed eventually, Slot needs to have a long think before continuing Kerkez's run of Premier League appearances. And Robertson himself gives Liverpool the template for how to manage the situation.
When the Scot first arrived from Hull City, he was not given a free pass into Jurgen Klopp's team. Despite coming in to compete with a not-altogether-convincing Alberto Moreno, Robertson had to wait months for his opportunity.
Coming from a lower-down team with a totally different style, that decision meant that his period of adaptation could take place behind the scenes, away from blistering Neville tirades (and increasingly impatient Liverpool fans). When injury dictated that it was time for Robertson to step up, he never really looked back.
Kerkez could clearly benefit from this more gradual, private transition. And Slot is in the immenselty fortunate position of still having Robertson to call upon in the meantime.
There's very little denying that as of right now, Robertson is the far superior option for Liverpool. He showed some signs of decline last season, but even his worst performance from the title-winning campaign is hardly distinguishable from the efforts Kerkez has put in.
And by pushing to make the change at left-back straight away, Slot is further destabilizing a team which is already greatly altered. Having lost Trent Alexander-Arnold, voluntarily taking Robertson out of the side as well is simply not viable.
It's been a while since the pair were widely acclaimed as the best full-back pairing in the world. But even last season, when neither were at their best, they were the beating heart of Liverpool's progression from the back.
Mark Stats on X recently shared a graphic which underlined that reality. Alexander-Arnold was in the 100th percentile of ball progression last season, and Robertson was in the 91st, making them two of the team's top three ball progressors.
Conor Bradley has mostly played in place of Alexander-Arnold, and the Northern Irishman is only in the 44th percentile. But the drop is almost as steep on the left, where Kerkez is in just the 41st percentile.
It should be little wonder, then, that Liverpool has had a hard time stringing moves together this season. Kerkez for Robertson is an extremely easy swap to instantly mitigate around half of the problem.
None of this is to prematurely write off Kerkez, or even to have a go at him. Not all of the fault lies at his door, and the onus is on Slot to get more out of him.
But in the immediate term, the best thing for everyone would be to follow the Robertson blueprint. That means letting Kerkez ride the steep learning curve primarily behind closed doors.
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