Gary Neville pinpoints one Liverpool star for criticism following Chelsea no-show

Originally posted on The Kop Times | By Shrishh Attavar | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 6:20 PM ET

Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez is under fire following Stamford Bridge loss

Gary Neville has launched a scathing critique of Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez following the team’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this week. The Hungarian left-back, who joined Liverpool in the summer from Bournemouth struggled throughout the game and came off in the 55th minute after a string of poor phases of play.

Chelsea, in the form we were in heading into the game, was a huge game. Defensively, the Reds were all over the place, and nothing much changed at Stamford Bridge too.

Kerkez appeared overwhelmed by Chelsea’s attacking threats, mostly Pedro Neto, and Neville suggested the young defender failed to take advantage of the guidance and experience around him.

Here is what the pundit had to say on The Gary Neville Podcast via ECHO:

“The boy Kerkez, to be honest with you, at this point in time, he looks like a youth-team player,”

“I know he’s a good player, but he looks like he’s playing for the youth team, or the Under-21s.”

“He looks so naïve; he looks like a baby out there. He’s losing 50-50s with Neto!”

“He’s had Premier League experience, it’s not like he’s come in from another country.”

“He’s got a lot of games under his belt, he’s played at these grounds before, so I expected him to slot in.”

Why is Milos not playing as an overlapping LB?

Arne Slot talked about how Milos is not used to the minutes he’s getting at Liverpool. While that is totally understandable, if the manager already knows this, why risk starting him in the first place, then? Only for him to see himself out embarrassed on the field and come off for Robbo who could easily start over Kerkez in his current form.

Arne Slot! Do what works best for Kerkez (via The Kop Times)

The boss now faces a challenge in managing the young defender while also shoring up the defensive unit. Neville rightly shed light upon the fact that senior players must guide Kerkez more effectively and that the coaching staff needs to address structural issues in the backline.

Despite the criticism, there is room for improvement. Kerkez can use this as a learning experience and focus on improving his game awareness. Liverpool still have the season ahead to integrate him properly, but performances like the one against Chelsea would not help either party involved.

This article first appeared on The Kop Times and was syndicated with permission.

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