Milos Kerkez Faces Challenge at St James’ Park
Milos Kerkez felt it from both sides at St James’ Park – from the touchline and from his own penalty area.
The new Liverpool left-back, installed as first choice after Andy Robertson’s summer move to Tottenham Hotspur, endured a bruising afternoon in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle that stripped away any early-season comfort.
Early blow on Kerkez’s flank
The tone was set inside five minutes. Anthony Elanga burned past Kerkez down Liverpool’s left to help create Newcastle’s opener, exposing the Hungarian’s positioning and recovery pace almost immediately.
From there, the battle only got harder.
Kerkez rarely imposed himself going forward, his attacking contribution limited and often wasteful. Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle highlighted the 22-year-old’s struggles, and on Monday detailed two flashpoints that underlined how thin patience ran with him on the day.
Iraola’s fury, Van Dijk’s warning
The first came in front of the dugout. As Newcastle pushed again down Kerkez’s side, Doyle noted that Andoni Iraola “struggled to keep his emotions in check” when his left-back “took an eternity” to close down Elanga, eventually conceding a corner.
Iraola’s reaction was telling. The Basque coach raged on the touchline, gesturing furiously, clearly “not a happy camper – at all” with the lack of urgency from his defender.
Later, the dressing-room hierarchy weighed in from the pitch itself.
During a Magpies break along that same flank, Kerkez again hesitated to engage his man. This time Virgil van Dijk snapped. The captain tore across to shut down the danger himself, then let his full-back know exactly what he thought, rebuking the number 6 for being too slow to step out.
Two moments. Two very public reminders of the standards expected in this Liverpool side.
Numbers offer a softer verdict
At this level, angry exchanges between players and coaches are routine, often forgotten by full-time. But here they mirrored the wider story of Kerkez’s afternoon: a tough, disjointed performance in a key position.
Defensively, the lapses were obvious. When he did venture forward, he squandered a couple of promising situations, either with a poor final ball or a wrong decision in the final third.
The underlying data paints a slightly kinder picture. According to Sofascore, Kerkez still produced:
- 6 duels won
- 7 defensive contributions
- 3 tackles
- 1 shot on target
- 1 key pass
Those are the numbers of a player involved, not hiding. They hint at effort, at engagement in the contest. But they don’t disguise the reality that his overall display fell short of what Liverpool need from their starting left-back.
Response time for Liverpool’s new number 6
For a 22-year-old stepping into a high-pressure role after Robertson, days like this are almost inevitable. The question is how quickly he responds.
Iraola will demand that response when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield next Saturday. Kerkez is likely to find himself locked in a direct duel with Ola Aina in Oliver Glasner’s wing-back system – another physical, tactical test down his flank.
It wasn’t the statement start to the season the Hungary international would have wanted. But the schedule offers no time to dwell. The next 90 minutes at Anfield will show whether this was just an early stumble, or the spark that sharpens Liverpool’s new left-back into the reliable presence they need for the rest of the campaign.
