Liverpool's Left-Back Dilemma: Milos Kerkez Under Scrutiny
Liverpool’s summer of change always felt incomplete. A handful of new faces arrived, including Ronald Araujo and Bradley Barcola, but when the window shut, only four signings had actually walked through the door. For a club coming off one of their worst seasons in recent memory under Arne Slot, it was a light overhaul.
The biggest reset came on the touchline. Andoni Iraola is the man charged with dragging Liverpool back to their standards. His first big European night at Anfield, a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, underlined both the potential and the problems. The result was encouraging. The performance shone a harsh light on certain positions.
One of them is left-back. Specifically, Milos Kerkez.
Slot’s legacy and a problem at left-back
Last summer, Liverpool spent over £450 million trying to reshape the squad. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz were the headline arrivals, the kind of marquee deals that were supposed to signal a new era. Instead, the team lost its way. The campaign unravelled into a muddle of poor structure, low intensity and a startling lack of direction, ending with a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.
Slot paid the price with his job. The damage, though, didn’t walk out with him.
Kerkez was one of the signings meant to secure the future. Brought in as the long-term successor to Andy Robertson, he arrived with the backing of Slot, who viewed the Hungarian as his first-choice option. On the pitch, that conviction never fully translated. Week after week, Robertson still ended up starting, simply because he was playing better.
The Scot’s influence was such that parts of the fanbase even wondered if Liverpool might hand him a new deal and double down on his experience. That extension never came. Instead, Kostas Tsimikas returned to Anfield to act as Kerkez’s understudy.
Wednesday night showed why that decision now looks risky.
Atletico expose a flaw Liverpool can’t ignore
Against Atletico, Kerkez looked every bit a 22-year-old still learning the trade in a back four. His energy was there, his willingness to get forward obvious, but the defensive side of his game lagged behind the level Liverpool need.
The key moment came when he lost Marcos Llorente, allowing the Atletico midfielder to escape and punish the Reds. It was a lapse that summed up the concern: in big games, one mistake from your full-back can flip the entire mood of the night.
Over 90 minutes, Kerkez’s display felt erratic rather than assured. There were glimpses of what he can offer as an attacking wing-back, but Liverpool are not built that way this season. Iraola’s side is set up in a back four, and in that structure the left-back has to defend first, not just fly forward.
For a club trying to close the gap on title contenders, that’s a problem that can’t be parked until next summer.
January decision looming
Liverpool’s squad still has obvious gaps, not just at left-back. There are questions across the XI that will need answers if the club want to keep pace with their rivals. If they sit out the January window, they risk watching others strengthen while they stand still.
Transfer talk around Anfield has already started to bubble. Ben Jacobs has even floated the idea that Liverpool could look to replace Alexis Mac Allister in 2027, a sign of how long-term the planning is behind the scenes. Yet the here and now is far less abstract. Kerkez’s struggles against Atletico pushed the left-back issue right to the front of the queue.
Across the summer, Liverpool were linked with alternative options on that side of the defence. Those rumours never became reality. If Kerkez’s form continues on the same unpredictable path, the patience of supporters is unlikely to last until May.
Right now, the picture is clear. As a wing-back, Kerkez offers plenty. In a back four, tasked with locking down his flank and reading danger early, he looks raw. Too raw for a team that wants to be back at the top as quickly as possible.
Liverpool don’t just need depth at left-back. They need a calmer, more experienced presence. The question is no longer whether they should find an upgrade on Milos Kerkez.
It’s how long they can afford to wait.
