With the new campaign fast approaching, every Liverpool fan is seeking any indication they can find that this season will be better than the last. Of course, a lot of those hopes rest of the shoulders of new head coach Andoni Iraola, replacing Arne Slot, following a feeble Premier League title defence.
Well, surely no one in the Reds' squad was more delighted to see Iraola appointed than Miloš Kerkez. The 44 year old Spaniard brought the Hungarian left-back to Bournemouth from AZ Alkmaar, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year, before making the move to Merseyside.
Speaking to Born ‘n Red following Sunday's pre-season friendly defeat against Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago, this is what Kerkez had to say about the first couple of weeks of training under Iraola:
"We are training pretty hard, obviously. I would say it's a bit tougher [than last summer] in terms of training and intensity. It's what the gaffer wants and we need to know what the gaffer tells us to do. "
Kerkez also asserted his excitement about the campaign ahead:
"Yeah I'm really looking forward [to the upcoming season]. Everyone is obviously motivated and happy, we want to play high press and intense football... we have 2 friendly games left to get into the right condition so we can start good against Newcastle. "
The left-back's quotes about the intensity of training are probably the most interesting. A lack of intensity was one of the major criticisms labelled at Arne Slot when things started to unravel last season. As noted by Adam Bate of Sky Sports, following March's 2-1 defeat at Brighton, Liverpool's distance covered per match figure had exponentially decreased compared to previous campaigns, both when Slot's side had won the title, as well as any season with Jürgen Klopp in charge.
They also note that, at the time, Liverpool ranked eighth in the Premier League when it came to Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA), having been no lower than fourth across any of the previous six seasons. PPDA is used to measure teams' pressing, essentially counting how many passes they allow the opposition to have before engaging and attempting to win the ball back.
Well, Iraola's Bournemouth always ranked highly when it came to PPDA, surely part of the reason why he has been hired by Liverpool. It should therefore be no surprise that Kerkez is noting an increase in intensity levels, considering he notes that the new head coach is seeking to implement "high press and intense football".
Milos Kerkez's importance to Liverpool news season
Amid many question marks around the majority of Liverpool's back-line, left-back appears to be the only spot with some certainty. Following Andy Robertson's departure, joining Tottenham Hotspur, Kerkez appears to be the undisputed first-choice, with Kostas Tsimikas, back after a season on loan at Roma, seemingly set to stick around as his deputy.
The 22 year old was already quite clearly Slot's first choice last season, racking up 48 appearances in all competitions, including starting 27 Premier League games as well as all four in the Champions League knockout phase. However, Kerkez was not quite able to recapture the form he had shown at Bournemouth, thereby convincing Liverpool to pay £40 million to sign him in the first place.
Nevertheless, in the league, among his team mates, he did rank third for clearances per 90, eighth for interceptions per 90 and fifth in terms of tackles per 90, while only Federico Chiesa, Jeremie Frimpong, Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak accumulated more than his 27 sprints per match. Some of those helped by small sample sizes.
Thus, in a Liverpool team that was largely dysfunctional, beaten 20 times in all competition for the first time since 1992/93, Kerkez was certainly not the problem. Right now, he is seemingly the only member of the first-choice back four ready to go on Tyneside in only 19 days time.
Neither Jérémy Jacquet nor captain Virgil van Dijk are yet to feature in pre-season, while does Iraola trust Frimpong to be his right-back? Either-way, he can certainly rely on Kerkez to be a consistent performer and execute the Spaniard's style.
Liverpool's upcoming fixtures
- Sunday 9 August: Monaco - Anfield. Pre-season friendly. Kick off 2:30pm.
- Sunday 16 August: Como - Anfield. Pre-season friendly. Kick off 6pm.
- Sunday 23 August: Newcastle United - St James' Park. Premier League. Kick off 4:30pm.
- Saturday 29 August: Nottingham Forest - Anfield. Premier League. Kick off 12:30pm.
- Friday 4 September: Ipswich Town - Portman Road. Premier League. Kick off 8pm.
- Saturday 12 September: Fulham - Craven Cottage. Premier League. Kick off 3pm.
- Sunday 20 September: Bournemouth - Vitality Stadium. Kick off 2pm.
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