If you’d have told Liverpool fans at the start of the season that Andy Robertson wouldn’t start any of the club’s first nine Premier League games, most would’ve made one assumption: Milos Kerkez must have made himself un-droppable.
However, the Hungarian hasn’t had the easiest start to life on Merseyside, despite his regular game time.
While Kerkez has been inconsistent for The Reds, Arne Slot’s choice of left-back has been anything but.
The Dutchman has opted to start with his new signing in every Premier League game, despite having to withdraw the Hungarian for a combination of tactical and disciplinary reasons on four occasions.
When asked ahead of Liverpool’s away defeat to Brentford what Kerkez is doing to give him the edge over his teammate, the Liverpool boss refused to answer directly.
Instead, he detailed why the club signed the left-back and what he offers.
Slot said: “He brings a lot of energy to the game, keeps going up and down and he’s very good at defending in one vs one situations against his wingers. He’s defensively solid and brings a lot of energy making the overlaps.”
While many think that Liverpool fans are yet to see the 21-year-old at his best, the numbers suggest those rampaging performances we saw on the south-coast may not be far away.
The defender’s attacking potential is evident and data suggests it’s only a matter of time before his persistence is rewarded with more goal contributions.
His shot and touch stats suggest his attacking threat is similar to what he posed last year.
As for Robertson, the Scotsman has been limited to 146 Premier League minutes from the bench this season, a stark contrast to the 2,492 minutes he played in Liverpool’s title winning campaign last season.
So why hasn’t Slot resorted back to his tried and tested left-back to help steady his sinking ship?
While only Slot himself knows, the evidence of Robertson’s decline gives us a strong indication of the reasons behind the Liverpool managers decision.
At 31 years-old Robertson is no longer the future of Liverpool’s defence – despite being held in a high regard by fans.
Slot is opting for persistence with Kerkez, understanding his potential and how game time will help mould him into the left-back Liverpool need long term.
There’s no doubt both will play important roles this season, but for now it seems Slot will continue to use his new signing, a decision which could come back to bite him during a turbulent period where experience could be crucial.
