Stop Milos Kerkez
Buy the players who scare you.
The weekend just gone was supposed to be a big one for the future of the Premier League title. Liverpool had an away trip against high-flying Bournemouth to navigate, and humble Arsenal were set to host Manchester City at the Emirates.
But no, nothing happened. Both contenders picked up relatively straightforward wins. The gap at the summit is still the same as it was last month, and the month before that. As you were.
Nevertheless, Liverpool deserve credit for their smooth 2-0 win. The Vitality Stadium ranks among the toughest venues in the country to visit right now, yet the Reds largely made themselves at home.
I want to touch on a tactical tweak enforced by Arne Slot during the game, with the Dutchman encouraging Ryan Gravenberch to defend wider spaces against the Cherries.
The Reds midfielder is accustomed to protecting the centre at Anfield, but he prioritised the right flank against Bournemouth due to the attacking prowess of a certain Miloz Kerkez.
The Hungarian left-back loves to overlap and underlap Antoine Semenyo, regardless of the opposition. And that often results in Bournemouth establishing valuable overloads down their left.
You don’t want to let that happen, especially if your right-back is Trent Alexander-Arnold, the generational talent who can do pretty much anything with a ball except win it back for you.
Watch the two clips below. In the first, as soon as Liverpool lose possession, Gravenberch immediately checks his shoulder and knows his job. It’s all about extinguishing fires on that side. And in the second, again, he immediately thinks about Kerkez and sprints once realising he’s behind the eight ball.
Gravenberch prevented Bournemouth from bullying our Scouse defender, which wasn’t easy. Indeed, despite the Dutch international showcasing older brother energy throughout the match, Iraola’s men still benefited from some joy down Liverpool’s right.
But this isn’t about Alexander-Arnold, no. It’s a nod in the direction of Kerkez, who is unsurprisingly linked with a summer move to Merseyside, of all places. Still just 21 years old, he’s such a prominent figure on the south coast that Slot had to consider his threat when formulating his tactical plan.
I love that. I’m a big believer in signing players who are dangerous. Players who possess offensive qualities, regardless of their position. You want the last pass from everywhere. Goals from everywhere. Points from everywhere.
Kerkez, despite being a left-back, impacted Slot’s approach. “I think it is clear that they have many good things, and their left-back is definitely a threat going forwards,” said the Reds boss after the bout. “It's clear that if you leave Trent with Semenyo and Kerkez constantly in a two-on-one, that is not the best idea that I can come up with.”
Just a few months ago, Slot praised the qualities of another left-back in Miguel Gutiérrez before facing Girona in the Champions League. The former Real Madrid prospect shaped Liverpool’s tactics for 90 minutes shortly after, just like Kerkez on Saturday afternoon.
As Richard Hughes moves towards his first proper summer as the club’s sporting director, I’m pretty sure the Reds will keep considering such underlying principles in the transfer market. Buy danger. Force your opponents to worry about the fires.
You want to construct a team that is capable of scoring in multiple different ways. You want your opponents to feel threatened at all times, regardless of which player has the ball at his feet. You want opposing managers to feel overwhelmed as they weigh up how on earth you’re supposed to prevent Liverpool from scoring.
We need to stop Mohamed Salah. Yeah, but what about Alexander-Arnold behind him? Ah, good point. Dominik Szoboszlai has a mean shot from distance, too, and Andy Robertson will overlap forever. Got to stop Cody Gakpo crossing towards the back post. Hang on, Virgil van Dijk’s diagonal passes could do some damage as well.
You get the picture. The moment you sign a starter who is a bit toothless and blunt when you’ve got possession. A dud, if you will. Think Aaron Wan-Bissaka. That’s when your attacking game will suffer. Don’t do it.
Slot having to adjust his tactics to take care of Kerkez is a box ticked. A big green flag. The same applies to Gutiérrez. That’s the kinda thing you’re looking for as you search for Robertson’s successor.
That logic also explains why I’m generally not in favour of signing a centre-back and fielding him as a full-back, even though it’s trendy right now. At times, cool. But do I think Hughes should replace Robertson with a player in the mould of Ben White or Nathan Aké? No, I don’t. Because centre-backs aren’t that dangerous.
I’m toying with the idea of dedicating a series to finding a left-back in the coming weeks, so look out for that one. But in the meantime, keep enjoying the Reds.
Smile as you think about the number of fires that David Moyes will have to extinguish to get a result against Liverpool next week.
I love this, it's a really good point. As an aside, something that has massively impressed and surprised me about Konate this season is how he's embraced that need to create. No, he's not peak Hansen, but if he's offered space he'll use it. If there's a killer pass on, he'll take it. So it's not even necessarily about having exceptional attacking skills but rather to have the bravery to try.
While Arne did name-drop Kerkez & seems to respect him, it feels like he positioned Ryan to help on the right flank moreso to manage the threat posed by Semenyo (vs. Kerkez). I think Trent / Ibou could've handled Kerkez over/underlapping a lesser winger w/o Ryan's extra attention.
It was a smart tactical decision by Arne, however, as Semenyo was THE threat. Semenyo is a game-changing threat for any opponent with his elite athleticism (like a taller/wider version of Mbappe). He combines that "off-the-charts" athleticism with above-average technical skills when he arrives in the final third, especially his howitzer of a shot with either foot.
You have to admire Kerkez' work-rate and attitude ... one of those players you root for. But he doesn't seem exceptional in any skill (technical, tactical or athletic); more of a good player in all facets with a great attitude. While that unfortunately describes an upgrade on Robbo & Kostas' current form, is it good value given that Bournemouth will ask for £40-45 million? Feels like a lot to pay for a player who will only complement an existing asset.
Here's hoping we target Ait Nouri or Gutiérrez who bring exceptional technical skills and, in the case of Gutiérrez, an exceptional tactical sense. It's those exceptional qualities that unbalance an opponent, like Semenyo can. Looking forward to your 'finding a LB' series as it's arguably our biggest need right now and a fun topic to analyze & debate.