Gary Neville warns Slot one Liverpool signing is already giving him problems | OneFootball

Gary Neville raised a point of concern with Milos Kerkez’s defending during Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Bournemouth.

The Merseysiders took home the lion’s share of the points after Antoine Semenyo threatened to lead a remarkable comeback at Anfield last Friday.

However, goals from Mo Salah and substitute Federico Chiesa ensured Arne Slot’s men sidestepped an unwelcome start to their Premier League title defence.

Gary Neville is worried about Milos Kerkez

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Milos Kerkez formed part of a defensive overhaul in the summer transfer window. The arrival of the Hungarian and ex-Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong saw Liverpool secure the future of the fullback positions.

However, it seems that the former Bournemouth man may be due a slightly longer acclimatisation period at Anfield.

Gary Neville fairly pointed to the footballer’s rashness in the tackle after observing Liverpool’s Premier League opener.

“Credit to Liverpool for coming back towards the end, but they’ve got so much firepower; they can score goals, and they’re going to win a lot of games maybe 3-2, 4-2, 3-1,” the pundit spoke on the Gary Neville Podcast.

“I think Arne Slot and Liverpool players will want to see them get more solid defensively.

“I think the fullbacks will need to settle down a little bit defensively. Kerkez was quite rash, it’s understandable, it’s his first game at Anfield.

“Frimpong, I thought he was doing quite well, but he got substituted. So, there are some questions for Liverpool in respect of the defensive side of their game and the balance in midfield.”

Kerkez will still be a great signing for Liverpool

In fairness, Neville does have something of a point about Kerkez, despite the footballer’s endearingly insatiable desire to win back the ball.

Throughout pre-season, the Hungary star has been awfully prone to going to ground to win the ball.

Whilst it’s exciting to witness this aggressive, battling style of defending, there’s no question it could inspire some awkward situations in competitive action.

Milos Kerkez’s yellow-card worthy foul on Adam Smith in the first half certainly hinted at that, with the left-back looking a little out of control.

Regardless, we’ve still seen plenty of positives about the fullback’s style of play, not to mention the pace and dynamism he’s going to grant Liverpool on the left flank this term.

What do the stats say about Milos Kerkez’s Bournemouth performance?

We’re not so sure that the ex-Cherries man had a bad game against Andoni Iraola’s side.

According to Sofascore, Kerkez certainly wasn’t the weakest star on the pitch, earning a 6.8/10 rating for his troubles.

On top of that, the 21-year-old registered:

→ 2/4 ground duels won

→ 2/6 aerial duels won

→ Dribbled past once

→ Possession lost six times

→ 27/29 accurate passes (93%)

We’d hasten to emphasise that the footballer is still extremely on the young side at 21. So it’s entirely natural to see this rawer side to his game that Arne Slot will have to work on.

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