Milos Kerkez does not lack in exuberance, but Liverpool fans have sought to point out an area of his game that will need to be coached out of him at Anfield.
The left-back made his first Premier League start ahead of veteran Andy Robertson, while Kostas Tsimikas was left out of Arne Slot‘s squad entirely.
As per FotMob, Kerkez was the most accurate passer (93%) to play 45 minutes or more on Friday night, but his proclivity for going to ground was not lost on those watching on.
His aggressive and front-foot style are trademarks of his, but he lost six of the 10 duels he contested going up against the impressive Antoine Semenyo.
August 15, 2025: Milos Kerkez tackling Bournemouth’s Adam Smith. (PA)
A yellow card prompted Slot to swap his left-backs, but he later told Sky Sports: “Milos Kerkez is a player the fans will come to like because in every duel, he goes all in.”
While that is certainly the case, fans took to social media to encourage controlled aggression from the 21-year-old.
I’m also willing to give Kerkez the benefit of the doubt, given it was his proper home debut and he was up against his former club. He’s clearly a very emotional and exuberant player, which can lead to him being a bit of a liability. But hopefully Slot can calm him down a bit.
— Biggies Malls 2.0 (@Biggies_MaIIs) August 15, 2025
Love Milos Kerkez but gotta stop trying to be aggressive and always hitting the ground. Play smarter or the yellow cards will come frequently
— Moby (@Mobyhaque1) August 15, 2025
I don't like how often Kerkez goes to ground. Got done moments earlier too. Lost a lot of duels to Semenyo, who's strong but you need to use your smarts to get the better of him, you're not going to outmuscle Semenyo.
— Red (@TaintlessRed) August 15, 2025
kerkez is so funny, not every challenge needs you to press square bro
— niran (@TheOfficialFNG) August 15, 2025
Kerkez will come good i know he will but needs to harness the aggression and defend more intelligently, he has some great attributes you saw when he went off the goal was Robbo struggling to track his man!
— ChaymusLFC (@chayh14) August 16, 2025
“Kerkez is struggling, but it is too early to form an informed opinion on that.
“They often let Kerkez all by himself against taller and stronger forwards. They did that last season with Robertson too, and some here were harsh on him, ignoring the obvious.” – swiv in TIA comments.
“You can change Robertson for Kerkez and vice-versa but until Gakpo does his tasks defensively, our left-flank will be our weak-point. This needs to be addressed.” – Luis10Garcia in TIA comments.
“I totally rate Kerkez, but he’s young and needs more bedding in, even though he showed positive signs. Also Robbo had a limited preseason.” – JimBond in TIA comments.
Liverpool are unbelievable going forward, so many answers to different systems.
Defensively got some work to do. Structure in midfield seems a bit open, probably doesn’t help lacking Gravenberch in there. Frimpong better defensively than he’s given credit for, Kerkez a bit rash
— Josh (@LFCJosh23) August 16, 2025
think frimpong and kerkez are gonna have to adapt to the system a little, but after that we’ll be unreal
— ollz (@ollz000) August 16, 2025
Kerkez, like all the new signings, will need time to settle and adjust to the new demands asked of him – and facing his former side first up will have complicated matters.
Liverpool’s openness in defence, however, has created more space for the opponents to exploit, and Kerkez’s aggressive nature will only leave Slot’s side more over committed than they already are.
He and the team are a work in progress, though, and it will take time to adjust to the changes Slot is making and for the new signings to gel with the core group.