Liverpool star faced with UPHILL battle to impress Arne Slot

The success of a football team is based on partnerships developed in different areas of the pitch.

Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate need to be on the same page as each other in defence, it's essential that Ryan Gravenberch and his partner in the midfield pivot are playing in close proximity with each other, so the team has solidity and the wingers need to be in sync with the striker.

In the system that Arne Slot deployed against Leeds on Saturday evening, you could see the two of the three main partnerships in full flow, although the latter was a noticeable problem from the start.

Hugo Ekitike was deployed instead of Alexander Isak, and the Frenchman was certainly more involved than his Swedish counterpart, but Cody Gakpo was an absolute nightmare to play with.

The only thing more concerning than their relationship, was how much Milos Kerkez was ignored.

Kerkez's uphill battle to succeed

Hungarian left-back Kerkez has struggled to really find his best form since joining Liverpool in the summer, and we've seen him commit a lot of unnecessary errors. It's been frustrating watching him.

Andy Robertson has been deployed more regularly than he might have imagined this season, and we've seen him in much better form than at times last season. He's been really composed on the ball.

However, it's important that Liverpool make a success of their £45m man, and so Slot decided to play him against Leeds, and he actually looked really good. He was racing up and down the pitch and getting stuck into duels and tackles, while trying to support Gakpo when we attacked down the left.

What he couldn't control, was the Dutchman's decision-making when the ball was laid off to him.

Gakpo received his flowers last week, getting a goal and an assist against West Ham - contributions which leapfrogged him to the top of Liverpool's attacking charts, above Mohamed Salah. Despite what you might think of the team's attacking efforts as a unit, Gakpo was officially our best forward.

He's often seen as quite a frustrating player, because he stereotypically cuts inside and in that sense, he can be predictable when the team is on the back-foot. This is where the problem lies.

Against Leeds, the Dutchman's use of the overlapping full-back was non-existent, with constant over-hit crosses and inappropriate cuts inside, giving the ball away and putting us under pressure.

Fans on X during the game compared Kerkez's efforts to completing a bleep test, with him running up and the down the pitch, without really making a difference to the team, despite his intentions.

If the team had a different left-wing presence to Gakpo, perhaps youngster Rio Ngumoha or a new signing like Antoine Semenyo, then Kerkez's game might be enhanced, but with the team making the same mistakes every week, and with the lack of different dynamics in the team, it's difficult.

Especially when you consider that Robertson is constantly peering over Kerkez's shoulder for minutes, compared to Gakpo's circumstances where he's almost undroppable as the only senior left-sided winger in Slot's squad. Until the team starts to adapt, that left flank will remain a problem.

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