Possession lost 11x: BBC pundit slams Liverpool player who left his team ‘exposed’ v Atletico | OneFootball

One Liverpool player has come in for strong criticism over his performance in the 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

The Reds had to claim all three points the hard way after falling behind to yet another Marcos Llorente goal at Anfield, which came after he ran in from behind Milos Kerkez to get on the end of Julian Alvarez’s through ball and then slotted past Alisson Becker.

The Hungarian left-back was called out by BBC reporter Aadam Patel for that ‘poor’ lapse in concentration, and a former England goalkeeper went further in his condemnation of the 22-year-old.

Robinson: Kerkez is not ‘the answer’ for Liverpool

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Paul Robinson commended Liverpool’s overall performance last night but wasn’t impressed by how the Reds’ number 6 played.

The pundit said: “It was a solid performance from Liverpool tonight. Defensively, I still think they have got flaws in the full-back area. Kerkez is by no way the answer at left-back for me. They were exposed a number of times down that side with the overlapping full-back.”

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

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Kerkez needs to tighten up on defensive lapses

Kerkez hasn’t had the most convincing of starts to the season, having also endured a tough outing against Newcastle last month and been labelled ‘the Darwin Nunez of full-backs‘ by Jamie Carragher for being overly impetuous in his decision making on the pitch.

His lapse for Llorente’s goal could’ve cost Liverpool last night, although none of the Reds’ players covered themselves in glory with how that passage of play transpired – the gaps in the defensive line were far too easy for Atletico to play through.

There were some positive aspects to the Hungarian’s performance – as per Sofascore, he won four duels and four tackles, and he initiated the move which ultimately led to Szoboszlai’s equaliser – although his carelessness is reflected in him losing possession 11 times throughout the game.

Kerkez has an incredibly hard act to follow at left-back in Andy Robertson, who achieved legendary status at Anfield throughout his nine years at the club, but our number 6 is still young enough to refine those rough edges which can all too often let him down.

Now that the 22-year-old is an undisputed first choice for Liverpool, hopefully we’ll see him grow into a more mature presence in the starting XI without losing too much of the exuberance and athleticism which earned him his move to the Reds last year.