Kerkez: I’m More Involved and My Understanding with Gakpo Has Improved a Lot

In the third round of the Premier League, Liverpool defeated Ipswich Town 2-0 away from home. After the match, Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez spoke in an official club interview.

It must feel great to get your first away win of the season under the new manager, right?

Yes, it feels really great. I think we were fully into the game from the first minute, which was exactly the area we identified as needing improvement after our first two matches. So, I think we did very well in that aspect today. Obviously, Alex (Isak) has started scoring goals, and hopefully he can continue in that form. Also, I’m very happy with the lads, especially with the aggression we showed today.

Yes, scoring two goals early obviously helped a lot, but the way you handled things defensively in the second half was also crucial because Ipswich kept applying pressure.

Yes, you know, when you press high like we do, it is a little difficult to maintain that intensity for the full 90 minutes. We can do it for the first 30 to 35 minutes, then we need to adjust and recover. We can continue at the start of the second half, but after that we rely on keeping a compact shape and communicating with each other. This is also something we mentioned we needed to improve. Obviously, as defenders, we are very happy with the clean sheet. I think we defended crosses and set pieces quite well. As I said, everyone was 100 percent focused today.

You know this manager better than most people. Do you think he has already started successfully getting his tactical ideas across?

Yes, definitely. I think everyone felt better on the pitch today. Personally, I also feel I am playing with more freedom, I have more involvement, and I am feeling better and better. Of course, a clean sheet and an away win are important, and we know every away match in the Premier League is very difficult. So we are happy, but we also know we cannot celebrate too much. There is a match every three days now, and we have to focus on the next one.

Exactly. And you are also learning to play with different styles of wingers in front of you, with four options now available for the manager to choose from.

Yes, as a player, your responsibility is to adapt. That is why we do daily training. I would say that my understanding with Cody (Gakpo) has improved a lot this season. Also, when Bradley (Barcola) came on, we produced some nice combinations, and I almost played him through with that pass; that move was really good. However, we are deepening this understanding through training every day. We just need to keep going and continue working hard.