Liverpool have started their Champions League campaign with a huge 2-1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid.
There was plenty to be excited about.
Alexis Mac Allister produced a brilliant performance and scored the winner, Dominik Szoboszlai continued his excellent start to the season, Alexander Isak looked dangerous and Bradley Barcola showed flashes of exactly why Liverpool paid so much for him.
Florian Wirtz was involved.
Rio Ngumoha caused problems.
And Liverpool showed the character required to come from behind against one of Europe’s most difficult sides.
But according to Thierry Henry, there is still one position that stops this Liverpool team from being genuinely frightening.
Left-back.
And honestly, I can see his point.
Liverpool have quality everywhere
It says something about Liverpool’s squad that Henry’s criticism comes with plenty of praise.
Wirtz.
Isak.
Barcola.
Ngumoha.
Mac Allister.
Szoboszlai.
Van Dijk.
Araújo.
There is quality all over this team.
Liverpool now have players capable of winning matches at both ends of the pitch.
And the attacking potential is particularly exciting.
Barcola made his first Liverpool start against Atlético and showed the pace and directness that supporters have been waiting to see. Isak gives Liverpool a genuine world-class attacking focal point, while Wirtz can create something from nothing.
Then you add Gakpo, when fit, and Ngumoha developing rapidly.
There is frightening potential in that attack.
But Henry believes there is still one obvious weakness.
Milos Kerkez.
Henry’s criticism of Kerkez
Henry’s argument is pretty simple.
Liverpool look like they have elite-level players in almost every position, but he believes the left-back position remains vulnerable.
That doesn’t mean Kerkez is a bad player.
Far from it.
Liverpool clearly saw something in him when they signed him, and he has already shown flashes of the attacking ability that made him so highly rated at Bournemouth.
But the problem is consistency.
Kerkez still has to prove that he can perform at the required level week after week for Liverpool.
And that is a completely different challenge.
The Atlético game highlighted the issue
Liverpool won the match, so I don’t want to turn this into a criticism of one player after a brilliant European night.
But Atlético did find opportunities down Liverpool’s left at different stages.
The goal Liverpool conceded came after a defensive situation that left the team exposed, while there were moments when the back line looked uncomfortable under Atlético’s pressure.
Liverpool eventually settled down and controlled more of the game.
But against the very best sides in Europe, those small weaknesses can become massive problems.
That’s what makes Henry’s comments interesting.
Liverpool don’t need to be perfect.
They just need to stop giving elite opponents an obvious area to target.
But I wouldn’t give up on Kerkez
This is where I would slightly disagree with Henry.
I don’t think Liverpool should be looking to replace Kerkez immediately.
He’s still young.
He’s adapting to a completely different team and a new manager in Andoni Iraola.
And Liverpool themselves are still learning how to defend as a unit under Iraola.
In fact, Kerkez has already spoken about the defensive work Liverpool have been doing, particularly around transitions and rest defence.
That’s important.
Liverpool’s defensive problems aren’t necessarily all down to one player.
The entire team has to defend properly.
The midfield has to protect the defence.
The full-backs have to understand when to attack and when to stay.
And the centre-backs have to cover the spaces left behind.
But Henry has given Liverpool something to think about
That’s why I wouldn’t dismiss the criticism.
Liverpool spent heavily this summer.
They have brought in Isak.
They have Wirtz.
They have Barcola.
They have Araújo.
They have Jacquet.
The squad has been transformed.
But if there is one position where supporters still have questions, left-back is probably it.
Kostas Tsimikas remains an experienced alternative, and he came on late against Atlético after Kerkez had played 88 minutes.
That gives Iraola another option.
But if Liverpool are serious about competing for the Premier League and Champions League, they need to know whether Kerkez can eventually become the undisputed answer.
Liverpool could become frightening
And this is the part that makes Henry’s comments so interesting.
Imagine Liverpool eventually getting everything right.
Isak scoring regularly.
Wirtz creating.
Barcola running at defenders.
Gakpo providing another attacking option.
Mac Allister controlling midfield.
Szoboszlai adding goals and energy.
Araújo and Jacquet developing alongside Van Dijk.
And a completely reliable left-back behind them.
That Liverpool team could be seriously frightening.
The Atlético victory already showed what this side can produce.
Liverpool went behind.
They didn’t panic.
They fought back.
They scored twice.
And they saw the game out.
The official club report confirms that Mac Allister’s 50th-minute strike completed the comeback after Szoboszlai had equalised before half-time.
That’s a very good sign.
Kerkez has time to prove Henry wrong
Personally, I’m not ready to write Kerkez off.
I think there is a very good player in there.
But Henry has identified something Liverpool cannot ignore.
Kerkez has to improve.
Not because Liverpool need another scapegoat.
Not because one Champions League performance should define him.
But because the standards at Liverpool are incredibly high.
When you’ve got Isak, Wirtz, Barcola and Mac Allister in front of you, the defence has to match those standards.
Fix that position and Liverpool could be something special
For me, that’s the challenge.
Liverpool don’t necessarily need to buy another left-back.
They need to make the position reliable.
If Kerkez can develop defensively and become more consistent, Liverpool suddenly have an incredibly balanced squad.
If he can’t, then Henry may have identified the position Liverpool eventually need to address.
And that’s the beauty of this Liverpool team.
We’re no longer talking about whether they have enough quality.
They clearly do.
Now we’re talking about whether they can eliminate the final weaknesses.
Because if Liverpool can fix that left side…
This could become a seriously frightening team.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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