Paul Robinson Has Raised a Big Question About Milos Kerkez at Liverpool

Milos Kerkez is starting to become a real talking point at Liverpool.

And after watching the Reds come from behind to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at Anfield, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has questioned whether the Hungarian is actually the answer at left-back.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Robinson was far from convinced by Kerkez’s performance.

“Kerkez is by no way the answer at left-back for me. They were exposed a number of times down that side with the overlapping full-back.”

That is a pretty damning assessment.

And while I wouldn’t go as far as saying Liverpool should already be giving up on Kerkez, I do think Robinson has identified something worth watching.

Kerkez was exposed

Liverpool ultimately won the game, but Atlético Madrid caused problems down Liverpool’s left-hand side.

Kerkez was caught out for the opening goal when Marcos Llorente was able to exploit the space behind him.

The Liverpool left-back had stepped up looking to catch Atlético offside, but the timing wasn’t right and Llorente was able to run through and finish.

It was a moment Liverpool simply cannot afford to repeat against better teams.

The Guardian’s match report also highlighted Kerkez’s positioning and distribution as weaknesses on the night, although it also noted that he played an important role in Liverpool’s equaliser.

So this wasn’t a completely disastrous performance.

But there were warning signs.

The criticism isn’t completely fair either

This is where I think we need to be careful.

Kerkez has only recently arrived at Liverpool and is adapting to a completely different team, different expectations and a different tactical environment.

He isn’t suddenly a bad player because he struggled against Atlético.

And there was actually a positive moment in his performance.

Kerkez won possession from Lee Kang-in with an excellent challenge before finding Bradley Barcola, with the move eventually leading to Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser.

That’s the Kerkez Liverpool supporters want to see.

Aggressive.

Energetic.

Forward-thinking.

Capable of winning the ball and immediately turning defence into attack.

The problem is that those qualities have to be balanced with defensive discipline.

Liverpool can’t keep being exposed down the left

This is the bigger concern for me.

Liverpool already had questions about their full-back positions before the season started.

Jeremie Frimpong has struggled at times on the opposite side, while Ronald Araújo has now shown that he can give Iraola a more defensively secure option at right-back.

Araújo was even voted Liverpool’s Player of the Match against Atlético by supporters after producing an impressive display and assisting Szoboszlai’s equaliser.

That creates an interesting comparison.

When Liverpool need more defensive security, Araújo looks capable of providing it.

But what happens at left-back?

At the moment, Kerkez is the obvious option.

And that means Liverpool need him to improve.

I wouldn’t write Kerkez off

For me, it would be far too early to say Liverpool have made a mistake signing Kerkez.

He’s young.

He’s talented.

He’s aggressive.

And we’ve already seen flashes of what he can offer going forward.

Liverpool’s own coverage after the Ipswich win showed that Kerkez believes the team is improving and developing chemistry after a difficult opening period.

That’s important.

He needs time.

He needs a run of games.

And he needs to develop an understanding with the players around him.

But he also needs to learn quickly.

Because the Premier League and Champions League aren’t going to give him many opportunities to make the same mistake twice.

Could Tsimikas get another chance?

This is where things get interesting.

If Kerkez continues to struggle defensively, Andoni Iraola has another option in Kostas Tsimikas.

I’m not suggesting Tsimikas should suddenly become Liverpool’s first-choice left-back again.

But competition for places is healthy.

If Kerkez knows that a poor run of performances could see him replaced, that can only help push his standards higher.

And Liverpool have a long season ahead.

There will be injuries, suspensions, rotation and different tactical challenges.

Iraola needs options.

One performance doesn’t define Kerkez

This is ultimately where I stand.

I don’t think Paul Robinson is right to say Kerkez is definitely not the answer just yet.

But I also don’t think Liverpool should ignore what happened against Atlético.

The Reds conceded because their defensive structure was exposed, and Kerkez was involved in that problem.

At the same time, he played a part in the equaliser and Liverpool eventually produced a strong enough second-half performance to win the match 2-1.

There were positives.

There were negatives.

That’s football.

But this is now something to watch

Kerkez has arrived at Liverpool with a big reputation.

Now he has to prove he can handle the demands of playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

I still believe he can.

But Robinson’s comments have raised a legitimate question.

Is Milos Kerkez really the long-term answer at left-back?

Right now, I don’t think we know.

And that is exactly why the next few months are going to be so important.

Kerkez has the ability.

Now he needs to show the consistency.

Because Liverpool can’t afford to keep being exposed down that side. 

Jamie (The Kopite View)