Liverpool won their first match of the season on Friday when they took on newly promoted Ipswich Town. Two early goals from Alexander Isak sealed the deal with 81 minutes to spare, and Liverpool returned to Anfield with all three points.
After the match, wing-back Milos Kerkez was asked about the win and what it means to the team.
"It's really nice," he told the official site. "I think we were in the game since the first minute. It's what we talked [about] in the first two games [that] we need to do better. I think we did that outstanding. Obviously Alex is starting to score and I hope that continues. I'm happy with the boys and overall how aggressive we went."
The goals have come in all three games so far, but how's the chemistry coming along, especially now that Mohamed Salah isn't there to partner with him on the left?
"It's your job to adapt. That's why we have training sessions," Kerkez answered. "I think with Cody [Gakpo] this year we understand each other a lot better. I think when Bradley [Barcola] came in we had good actions – I nearly gave him a pass through that was nice. But we're getting the understanding every day in training. We need to just keep going."

#first #goals #three #games

One Liverpool player felt the wrath of both Andoni Iraola and Virgil van Dijk during the 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Sunday.
Milos Kerkez is now the undisputed first choice at left-back for the Reds after Andy Robertson's summer exit for Tottenham Hotspur, but the Hungarian endured a difficult afternoon at St James' Park.
He was outpaced by Anthony Elanga for the Magpies' opening goal in the first five minutes and struggled to make much of an impact going forward, with his performance criticised by Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle.
In an article for the Liverpool Echo on Monday, that same journalist noted two separate instances involving the 22-year-old which earned him an earful from his head coach and his captain.
Doyle observed how Iraola 'struggled to keep his emotions in check' as Kerkez 'took an eternity' to close down Elanga before conceding a corner kick, with the Basque left remonstrating on the touchline as he was 'not a happy camper – at all'.

#first #andoni

Liverpool's opening day defeat at Newcastle raised a few obvious concerns, and the most glaring one sat on both flanks. In a difficult first half at St James' Park, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong struggled badly, with Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo putting it plainly: "Both Kerkez and Frimpong have been particularly shocking at left and right-back respectively."
That is strong language, but it fitted what unfolded. Newcastle scored early through Anthony Elanga after slicing through Liverpool's midfield far too easily, and from there the visitors never looked secure. The issue was not only the goal. It was the general sense of disorder. Liverpool had shots before the break, nine of them, but they barely tested Lukas Hornicek. For all the possession in spells, the attack looked loose and the defending looked looser.
Doyle added, "Each is on a booking, which is surely something Newcastle will look to expose as the game progresses. Might we see Tsimikas and Araujo in the second half?" That felt like the natural question. Once both full-backs were booked, every duel became risky and every Newcastle transition looked dangerous.
Frimpong's first half summed up the problem. There was little attacking thrust, his delivery was poor, and he kept giving the ball away. Kerkez fared no better. He was exposed for the opening goal, struggled with Elanga's pace and then wasted the few moments he had going forward. If your full-backs are meant to provide width, recovery pace and control, Liverpool got none of the three.
Photo: IMAGO

#kerkez #Liverpool #looked #half

Liverpool put in their strongest performance of pre-season on Sunday in the Anfield headliner against Champions League side Como, and next up for the Reds under new head coach Andoni Iraola is the Premier League season opener against Newcastle next Sunday.
"We are ready and everyone can't wait until the season starts next week," left back Milos Kerkez said after Sunday's 2-0 victory. "We said we need to get the win, to get that positive mentality going into the next week. So, we did good, clean sheet, good for the defenders, we're happy.
"We have still some work to be more defensively set up, to get more help obviously from the wingers, but it's going to come over the next week. We need to be ready for the Premier League intensity next week, especially at Newcastle, so the 90 minutes was good, definitely."
In order to get more help from the wingers, the club continue to work to sign an elite forward to replace the departed Mohamed Salah, with Bradley Barcola widely expected as that signing—but the small matter of agreeing a fee that satisfies Paris Saint-Germain proving difficult.
The timeline for a but signing is tight with Newcastle next weekend and the transfer window closing a week after that, but whether or not a new signing is ready for next Sunday's opener this is a side that looks in high spirits and to have embraced Iraola's high intensity approach.

#newcastle #ready #sunday

Andoni Iraola and his training staff were all present on the touchline which was wonderful to see knowing that the main event at Anfield was soon approaching. There were even a handful of senior players watching from the balcony and I'll note that only Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai stayed until the end.
I'm going to start by mentioning new signing Victor Munoz, this kid has pace to burn and is almost brutally direct. There are no Rio Ngumoha step overs but raw power and determination as well some nice switches of direction to throw the shadowing defenders off balance. Munoz also showed his ability with both feet in delivering good crosses and was Liverpool's best attacking outlet.
The other starting winger was Harvey Elliott, a term that should be loosely used in describing his wide play because despite Iraola's vocal instructions for Elliott to stay out wide he ignored him and continued to drift infield seeking the ball. This caused center forward Chiesa to have to go out wide on the right and leaving us with no focal point of attack. I really feel for Elliott after the way his past two seasons have gone but he needed to shake that all off yet it seems he is either vastly shot of confidence or he is trying too hard to be involved to the point he lacks discipline and broke the structure Iraola wanted.
The only other player I really feel is worth mentioning is Trey Nyoni who played the full 70 minutes and was vocally commanding at times during the second half as well positionally disciplined with good breaking up of play and forward passing. Very impressive for a young player who seems to have decided this is going to be his season to prove his worth and has given everything.
Beyond these observations Alexis Mac Allister played around sixty minutes and Wataru Endo played the full match as a center back with none of the senior center backs involved so we should see both new signings Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo get some playing time in the real friendly later.

#iraola #senior

Liverpool and Leeds square off in Chicago on Sunday in a really fun preseason friendly.
Andoni Iraola's Liverpool have plenty of players still on their World Cup breaks but his high intensity style of play is already clear from their preseason displays so far. Plenty of experienced players have left Liverpool this summer and there is a really fresh feel about their squad with Iraola replacing Arne Slot and ushering in a totally new style of play.
Daniel Farke did a fine job last season to keep newly-promoted Leeds comfortably in the Premier League. Their squad is evolving nicely and many will tip them for a top 10 finish this season.
Kick off time: 4pm ET, Sunday August 2
Venue: Soldier Field — Chicago, Illinois
TV Channel/Streaming: All Red TV, LUFC
The likes of Domink Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez have played big roles in preseason, while Joe Gomez going down with an injury has shown how short of center backs Liverpool are ahead of the new season. Iraola's side beat Sunderland 4-2 and Wrexham 1-0 in the last week and teenager Rio Ngumoha has been excellent. Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are all expected to be in action for the first time this summer after their World Cup exploits.

#Liverpool #leeds #Chicago #players

Liverpool need someone to fix a massive problem and that player appears to be available. Do it, Richard Hughes.
There's a real full-back problem at Liverpool. That problem actually arrived in 2025 with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving the club but to say it's been exacerbated since then is an understatement.
Andy Robertson has now left as well, while Conor Bradley has a serious injury that rules him out long-term. Jeremie Frimpong, signed as Alexander-Arnold's replacement, looks incapable of playing there reliably - or at least, Arne Slot gave up on the idea.
As things stand, Kostas Tsimikas will return to fill the Robertson void. He's another who hasn't been trusted in the past and even AS Roma were reluctant to play him.
Milos Kerkez stands as the sole reliable full-back, then. It's not really enough.

Fabrizio Romano's latest update puts Liverpool one step closer to their dream target.
Let's be honest, this summer isn't shaping up to be quite as exciting as last year's transfer window.
At this stage 12 months ago, Liverpool had already secured Jeremie Frimpong and were pushing hard to complete deals for Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
This summer, Victor Munoz is the only new arrival through the door so far, while several players have already moved on.
A lot of that can be attributed to the World Cup. Transfer activity is often slower during a major international tournament, and that's understandable. For many players, representing their country at a World Cup is the pinnacle of their career. With the tournament only coming around once every four years, it's no surprise that many are focused solely on performing on the biggest stage.

Andy Robertson is joining Tottenham.
The 32-year-old had been at Liverpool since 2017 - winning everything there is to win in the club game. The Scotland captain is a firm fan favourite at Anfield - but Richard Hughes decided not to offer him a new contract.
Earning £160k per week Robbo’s contract runs out at the end of June and he has decided on a move to Spurs. The writing was on the wall following Milos Kerkez’s arrival from Bournemouth in summer 2025.
The Hungarian cost £40m and given his age it is now expected that he will be the starting left-back for many years ahead.
And with Robertson leaving it opens the door for a new left-back to provide cover and competition.