Sanjay Sathya

Look: Milos Kerkez Wins 1v2 Duel vs Wolves Through Sheer Willpower

Liverpool, Milos Kerkez, Premier League

Milos Kerkez arrived at Anfield under huge expectations. He was one of the summer signings in Liverpool’s historic 450 million transfer window. He was bought for a fee of 47 million Euros, considerably low compared to how much Liverpool paid for other summer signings.

As Andy Robertson’s form was becoming poor and his inability to contribute to the high intensity pressing system that Liverpool were playing, Kerkez was brought in as the perfect solution.

It did not come with instincts. Kerkez proved to the world, why he is a hot commodity in the market.

During the previous season for Bournemouth, Kerkez played his heart out on the left flank, being one of the key reasons for Bournemouth’s club record total of 56 points in top-flight football.

He was ranked the third for most distance covered and for most sprints among full backs in the Premier League. He also had third most crosses from open play, recording five assists and two goals to his name.

With Robertson entering the other side of 30s and Kerkez having already played the high-intensity football under Iraola, it seemed a no-brainer for Liverpool to cash in on the Hungarian.

However, the move was not as pleasing as it was expected. Kerkez had a rough start to the season, which also had Liverpool undergo a series of winless games. He was often criticized for his positioning and defensive abilities. After the game against Burnley where he was subbed out early, Kerkez came under harsh criticism from the fans. Followed by a loss to their arch rivals Manchester United, Kerkez fell under the scrutiny of Gary Neville who spoke out that Kerkez plays like a “10-year old left back”.

But slowly the fortunes changed. Liverpool have now won 3 consecutive games after a disastrous two months, in which Kerkez had a larger role to play. One of the initial observations for his loss of form was the lack of communication and difference in playing style between him and Gakpo. The Dutchman tends to cut in and shoot, which turned very ineffective this season as Liverpool faced a lot of low blocks. The decision to leave Wirtz start on the left boosted the team as well as Kerkez massively as the duo formed a lightning connection on the left side, compensating each other. Wirtz played out many one-twos with kerkez and positioned himself better allowing Kerkez to cross into the box more.

“I think at the moment it’s a good connection between me and Flo. We’re playing good and I hope it keeps going.  I have more freedom because Flo is here. We are moving, we are passing a lot, one-twos like you saw today. I feel I can be a lot more in the opposition box and crossing the ball and everything. Also defending, that’s my first job. It’s getting better so I’m happy about it.“. Kerkez after the 2-1 victory against Tottenham.

Fans who were quite dejected earlier, have identified the fighting spirit of Kerkez and have started backing him irrespective of his physical disadvantages. A Liverpool fan had described that “Kerkez has got the dawg in him”. The word “dawg”, used in internet slang, means that a person has got the resilience and aggression to face and go above challenges, in this context. The same fan had shared a video of him battling out for the ball with the Wolves players Jackson Tchatchoua and Andre where Kerekz can be seen relentlessly pushing hard and wins the ball despite his inferior physicality.

@gcknowsball People deadass questioned his ability after 3 months. Shame on all of them

@rhys_jb I could never dislike a player who dies for the badge like this

LFCJosh23 When it’s all said and done I want guys like this on my side
He’ll gain more confidence and familiarity with his teammates but you can’t coach dawg

PrimeEJ You will always need players like this. And it’s not like he’s not a good player too. Slowly becoming one of my favorites in the squad

@Uni__que02 Now that what we call playing for passion

@phavin11 Reminds me of Robertson during the first season.
The sky is the limit.

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