Milos Kerkez Faces Challenges as Liverpool's Left-Back

Milos Kerkez felt it from both sides at St James’ Park – from the touchline and from his own penalty area.

On a bruising afternoon in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle, the 22-year-old left-back found himself in the crosshairs of Andoni Iraola and Virgil van Dijk, as the early weeks of his new life as first-choice left-back delivered a harsh Premier League lesson.

A rough start on Tyneside

Kerkez, now the clear starter on the left after Andy Robertson’s summer move to Tottenham Hotspur, never really settled. Within five minutes, Anthony Elanga had burned past him down Liverpool’s flank to set up Newcastle’s opener, exposing the Hungarian’s positioning and recovery pace.

From there, the tone of his day was set.

Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle highlighted two flashpoints that summed up Kerkez’s struggles. The first came when he was painfully slow to get out to Elanga, allowing the winger time and space before eventually conceding a corner. Iraola, according to Doyle, “struggled to keep his emotions in check” as he raged on the touchline, clearly furious at how long his full-back had taken to close the ball.

The Basque coach did not hide it. He was, as described, “not a happy camper – at all”.

Van Dijk steps in

If that blast from the dugout wasn’t enough, Kerkez then felt the full force of his captain’s standards.

On another Newcastle break down Liverpool’s left, the Reds’ number 6 again hesitated, slow to engage his man as the Magpies surged forward. Van Dijk saw the danger, exploded across the pitch and shut it down himself – then let Kerkez know exactly what he thought.

The Dutchman’s rebuke was as clear as Iraola’s earlier fury. Different angles, same message: this level demands more.

Numbers can’t hide the reality

None of this is unusual at Premier League intensity. Angry words fly, especially in tight games and tight spaces. But those moments with Iraola and Van Dijk underlined what was already obvious: this was not Kerkez’s finest outing.

Defensively, he switched off at key moments. Going forward, he squandered a couple of promising positions, failing to make his raids down the flank count in the final third.

The underlying data offers some mitigation. As highlighted by Sofascore, Kerkez still put up competitive numbers:

• Duels won: 6
• Defensive contributions: 7
• Tackles: 3
• Shots on target: 1
• Key passes: 1

On paper, that reads like a solid shift. On the pitch, it didn’t feel like one. Context matters, and the lapses that led to Iraola’s fury and Van Dijk’s intervention weighed heavier than the raw statistics.

Response time for Liverpool’s new left-back

Kerkez is only 22. He has just stepped into a role vacated by a club stalwart. There will be bumps. What matters now is how quickly he irons them out.

Iraola will expect a sharper, more aggressive version of his left-back when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield next Saturday. Liverpool’s number 6 is likely to face Ola Aina in Oliver Glasner’s wing-back system – a different type of test, but one that will again probe his concentration, decision-making and one‑v‑one defending.

It wasn’t the most convincing start to the season for the Hungary international. But the shirt is his now. The question is simple: does he turn this warning shot into a turning point, or let the doubts grow?