Liverpool manager Arne Slot bluntly admitted that he “can never be 100%” sure that Milos Kerkez will stay on the pitch after picking up a yellow card.
The ruthless Dutch coach waited just 38 minutes before removing Milos Kerkez from the firing line during Liverpool’s narrow 1–0 victory over Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
There was no sign of injury as the 21-year-old sheepishly made his way off the pitch while the game was still goalless. Instead, Kerkez was saved from himself after picking up an early booking for simulation.
“It was because he got a yellow card,” Slot explained to Match of the Day when the topic of Kerkez’s departure was raised. “I think the fans here thought a chance for them to win the game is if we ended up with a second yellow.
“With Milos I can never be 100% he doesn’t make the next foul, then the fans are on top of the referee. I thought the only way we could lose it today was if we went down to 10 men.”
Out of the sprawling list of Liverpool’s summer signings, Kerkez was expected to enjoy the most seamless adaptation.
The energetic Hungary international had spent two years adapting to the Premier League at Bournemouth and thrived in the full-throttle system deployed by Andoni Iraola. While the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong would theoretically need time to get used to a new country and league, Kerkez was billed to be a plug-in-and-play option.
It has not been so straightforward.
Kerkez endured a chastening home debut for Liverpool against his former employers Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the new campaign, regularly finding himself in a one-on-one duel with Antoine Semenyo which he routinely lost. Just as on Sunday, Slot admitted that his £40 million ($54.9 million) signing was subbed on the hour mark to remove the risk of getting a red card.
Slot reacted even more quickly at Turf Moor. Less than 38 minutes had elapsed by the time Andy Robertson replaced Kerkez. The Scot almost immediately justified his inclusion after breaking into the box and firing a low shot at Burnley’s Martin Dúbravka.
Kerkez had been booked in the 22nd minute for a shameless dive inside the opposition penalty area, tumbling unconvincingly in front of Josh Laurent as the ball trundled out of play. The front-foot defender was promptly penalised for a foul. Turf Moor demanded a second yellow which didn’t come although Slot clearly thought another may have been on the way.
After hauling him over the side of the pitch, Liverpool’s manager gave Kerkez a customary high-five before exchanging what looked to be a stern set of words. The manager certainly didn’t hold back after the match.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Provides Brutal Explanation for Humiliating Milos Kerkez Substitution.
