Milos Kerkez Faces Challenges 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 first-choice Liverpool left-back, promoted after Andy Robertson’s move to Tottenham Hotspur, endured a bruising afternoon in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle that laid bare both his potential and his raw edges.
Early damage down his flank
The tone was set inside five minutes. Anthony Elanga burned past Kerkez on Liverpool’s left to help carve out Newcastle’s opener, exposing the Hungarian’s positioning and recovery pace before most of the away end had settled into their seats.
From there, the 22-year-old never quite looked at ease. His forward runs lacked their usual conviction, his final ball misfired, and his overall display drew criticism from Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle, who highlighted a couple of telling flashpoints.
Iraola erupts, Van Dijk steps in
One moment in particular infuriated Andoni Iraola. As Elanga received the ball again on Kerkez’s side, the full-back hesitated, taking what Doyle described as “an eternity” to close him down before eventually conceding a corner. On the touchline, Iraola’s reaction said everything – the Basque coach raging, struggling to keep a lid on his emotions as he barked instructions towards his left-back.
The scrutiny didn’t stop there. Later in the game, Virgil van Dijk delivered his own blunt reminder of the standards expected. During a Newcastle break down Kerkez’s flank, the Reds’ number 6 again failed to engage quickly enough. Van Dijk, sensing danger, thundered across to shut it down himself, then made his feelings clear to the younger man.
Those exchanges were not unusual in the Premier League’s intensity, but they underlined just how tough an afternoon this was becoming for Liverpool’s new starter on the left.
Numbers offer a softer landing
It wasn’t all negative. Buried beneath the high-profile lapses, Kerkez’s underlying figures painted a more nuanced picture. He won six duels, registered seven defensive contributions and made three tackles. Going the other way, he managed one shot on target and one key pass.
On paper, that’s a respectable workload. On the pitch, the impression was harsher. When he did get forward, he squandered a couple of promising positions, either by hesitating or misjudging the final ball. In a tight game at this level, those moments stick in the memory far more than a solid tackle count.
Kerkez will know that. For a player who has just been handed one of the most demanding roles in English football, this was a reminder that being “undisputed first choice” comes with a spotlight that never switches off.
Response required against Forest
Iraola now needs a reaction. Nottingham Forest visit Anfield next Saturday, and Liverpool’s number 6 is likely to find himself locked in a direct duel with Ola Aina in Oliver Glasner’s wing-back system. It’s exactly the sort of test that will show whether this outing at St James’ Park was a blip or an early warning.
The Hungary international has the trust of his manager and the shirt that used to belong to Robertson. What he does with it in the coming weeks will decide whether this is just a shaky opening chapter or the making of Liverpool’s new left flank.
