Carragher's Critique of Liverpool's Milos Kerkez: A Full-Back Comparison
Jamie Carragher has torn into Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez, branding him the “Darwin Nunez of full-backs” after a chaotic start to the season that has piled scrutiny on Andoni Iraola’s new-look side.
Kerkez has started both of Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixtures, 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, as the club stumbles through a frustrating opening to the campaign. Two points from six, four goals conceded, and the spotlight is already burning on the back line.
Carragher’s brutal verdict
Carragher, speaking on The Overlap, did not soften his words when assessing the £40 million defender’s game intelligence or composure.
“Their understanding of the game is really, really poor. You’re watching the game and thinking, ‘Why has he done that?’”
he said, grouping Kerkez into a wider concern about Liverpool’s full-backs.
He then revived a comparison he first made last season.
“I described Kerkez last season – and it was his first season, maybe it was a bit harsh at the time – he's the Darwin Nunez of full-backs. It's just like ‘head down and run’, everything Kerkez does is 100 miles an hour.”
For Carragher, the problem is not just a rough patch of form. It’s a question of profile. He believes Kerkez leans too heavily on raw speed, charging forward and recovering with athleticism, rather than reading danger or controlling his positioning.
A left-back locked in… for now
Liverpool’s decision to double down on Kerkez has only sharpened the criticism. The club sanctioned a £40m move for the Hungarian and then, despite his mixed first season, effectively handed him the shirt again.
“They've brought in Kerkez for £40million. He’s had his first season, it wasn't amazing, but right, you go: ‘OK, Iraola’s come in from Bournemouth, he knows him, he's still our left-back. Andy Robertson moved on, we had another left-back on loan, so we're probably not going to spend another £40million on another. He's our left-back, let him have another year’,”
Carragher said.
That logic has left Liverpool exposed. With Robertson gone and no fresh competition at left-back, Kerkez has been thrown straight back into the firing line, and the early evidence has not eased the doubts.
On the opposite flank, Jeremie Frimpong has fared no better under the microscope. Both full-backs have come under heavy fire for defensive lapses, with pundits openly wondering whether Liverpool misread one of the most obvious weaknesses in their squad.
Money spent, gaps ignored
What really stings for former players and analysts is the scale of Liverpool’s outlay elsewhere. The club poured huge money into attacking and midfield reinforcements, including Bradley Barcola for £106m and Jeremy Jacquet for £55m, plus four other signings.
The full-back positions? Untouched.
Gary Neville admitted he could not make sense of that approach.
“The two full-backs, it was quite clear at the start of last season when you watched them for five or six matches, that defensively they weren’t going to be quite at the level to do it,”
Neville said.
“I'm stunned. We talk about ‘will Arsenal regret not bringing in a forward’ – will Liverpool regret not bringing in a couple of full-backs?”
That question now hangs over Iraola’s early weeks at Anfield. The attack has been refreshed, the spending has been bold, but the same vulnerabilities out wide keep dragging Liverpool back. If Kerkez and Frimpong cannot grow into their roles quickly, the cost of that gamble may define Liverpool’s season.
