‘He looks so uncomfortable’ – Stephen Warnock worried by ‘struggling’ Liverpool player v Palace
Stephen Warnock has called for Arne Slot to take one Liverpool player ‘out of the firing line’ after tonight’s Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace.
Milos Kerkez was the only member of the starting XI against Brentford last weekend to be named in the line-up for the cup clash, and the head coach’s decision to rotate heavily didn’t pay off as the Reds exited the tournament at the fourth round.
The Dutchman kept faith with the 21-year-old left-back despite some fierce criticism of his performances in recent weeks, with Paul Scholes remarking that the Hungary international ‘looks like a kid playing against men at times’.
Warnock calls for Kerkez to be dropped
Warnock is at Anfield tonight for the Carabao Cup clash, and he wasn’t overly impressed with what he saw from Liverpool’s number 6.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, the former Reds defender said: “I would be inclined to take Milos Kerkez out of the firing line. Let him understand his role in the team. He is certainly struggling and he looks so uncomfortable.”
Kerkez hasn’t quite got going at Liverpool just yet
Kerkez had a slightly different role tonight as a left wing-back as Slot opted for a three-man central defensive unit, and to be fair to the Hungarian, he did alright in that guise.
The Liverpool Echo observed that the 21-year-old was ‘steady enough’ against Palace and had ‘moments of good understanding’ with Rio Ngumoha along the flank, with the teenage winger giving the Eagles plenty to think about in the first half before Ismaila Sarr’s brace.
His influence waned in the second half as the away side took firm control though, with the Reds doing little to trouble the visitors once the two-goal lead had been established.
Warnock’s call for Kerkez to be taken out of the starting XI might be heeded by Slot after the Hungarian’s heavy involvement over the past week, in contrast to how most of our regular starters had tonight off duty.
The 21-year-old is a very good player – he showed that with Bournemouth over the past couple of years – but so far it isn’t quite happening for him in a Liverpool shirt. Hopefully that’ll change over the coming months and we’ll see him return to being the effervescent left-back of last season.
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