Liverpool boss Arne Slot may have major concerns following Milos Kerkez’s showing vs. Ireland.
Arne Slot has every reason to be deeply worried about Milos Kerkez after the left-back’s showing in Hungary’s 3–2 defeat to Ireland on Sunday afternoon. Slot guided Liverpool to the Premier League title in his debut season, and a huge summer outlay — £419 million in reinforcements — should have paved the way for another dominant campaign. Instead, it’s had the opposite effect.
Three of those expensive additions have already been included in lists of the 10 worst Premier League signings of the season, and Kerkez is one of them. The defender has recently lost his place to the very player he was brought in to succeed, Andrew Robertson. Early signs suggested that his standout year with Bournemouth may have inflated expectations — raising concerns that he was a one-season wonder struggling to adjust to the demands at Anfield.
Yet Liverpool fans monitoring his international outings have been quick to argue that Kerkez still possesses real quality; he just hasn’t managed to show it in a Liverpool shirt. Increasingly, the criticism is shifting away from the player and toward Slot’s handling of him.
Hungary Form Highlights Questions Over Slot’s Use of Kerkez
Kerkez’s last truly impressive game for Liverpool likely came in the narrow 1–0 win over Arsenal, where he won every duel against Noni Madueke and displayed controlled aggression. Since then — nearly three months later — his club form has been inconsistent at best. At international level, however, the story couldn’t be more different.
Under Marco Rossi, Kerkez appears unaffected by the issues plaguing him at Liverpool. His performance against Ireland again showcased the level he can reach. In 95 minutes, he won all three of his tackles, made three interceptions, produced five clearances, blocked a shot, won seven of eight ground duels, delivered an assist, and created a match-high five chances.
Statistics like these have prompted fans to question what’s going wrong for him at club level — and whether Slot’s system is the root cause. As one X user put it:
“I can’t believe people are calling Kerkez a flop already when it’s so clear most of his bad displays are due to how Slot is using him.”
Hungary’s loss ultimately ended their hopes of reaching next summer’s World Cup, which in itself won’t alarm Liverpool fans. What does raise concern, though, is the stark contrast between his international form and his Liverpool showings. Another supporter summed up the growing frustration: “Milos Kerkez assist. Dominik Szoboszlai assist. Arne Slot… I prefer not to speak.”
A third added: “Another brilliant Kerkez assist for Hungary. This is genuinely frustrating — Slot, fix it,” while a fourth said: “I’m worried about Slot. Kerkez always looks like a different player for Hungary, and at Bournemouth he was superb.”
Breaking into the side ahead of Robertson was always going to be a monumental challenge, and in fairness, few left-backs would relish trying. Some supporters are already sounding alarms, but Slot — the most tactically flexible manager in world football last season — has shown he can adapt. A slower, more deliberate integration period may be exactly what Kerkez needs, even if the benefits aren’t immediate.
