Jamie Carragher And Steve McManaman reportedly singled out Milos Kerkez for criticism in Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Community Shield on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s team displayed defensive weaknesses despite goals from new signings Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong as well as a brilliant performance by Florian Wirtz. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a penalty which Virgil van Dijk conceded, and Ismaila Sarr took advantage of openings to outsmart Alisson in the closing minutes.
After Mateta burst away from the defense and Alisson made a crucial save, Van Dijk fouled Sarr.
What Did Carragher And McManaman Say About Kerkez?
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According to the Daily Express, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher questioned the balance of Liverpool’s redesigned backline, which included £30 million Frimpong on the right and £40 million signing Kerkez at left-back.
Commenting during the half-time break on X, Carragher observed: “LFC looking great going forward but susceptible defensively, as we’ve seen all pre-season.
“A lot of the goals conceded by LFC have come from going man to man really aggressively and leaving space in behind. Today Kerkez is getting dragged inside with Sarr leaving Gakpo chasing WB.”
Ex-Red McManaman also criticised the left-back’s positioning on TNT Sports, noting: “It was Kerkez playing everybody onside,” regarding the first goal by Palace.
“Everybody stepped forward and the left-back was stepping backwards.
Andy Robertson was overlooked for the left-back position in favor of Kerkez, who was acquired from Bournemouth during the summer transfer window.
Even though he later made a crucial block, McManaman suggested Slot has work to do because the Hungarian’s forward-thinking style frequently created openings for Daniel Munoz and Sarr to take advantage of.
“I think the two goals today – not taking anything away from Crystal Palace – but if we’re talking about Liverpool’s defensive issues, they were defensive mistakes,” he continued.
“There are things to work on and they will get better the more they get used to playing with each other as they are new players in a new system. But there are causes for concern because they are a bit vulnerable defensively.”
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