Being a Liverpool fan is akin to being an avid fisherman: you can while away the hours, finding no joy, but suddenly, just as you’re about to pack it in, you get a bite.
For Liverpool, much of this campaign has been boring and stale, but the fanbase’s boredom has been tempered by a sort of morbid fascination at this team’s startling drop-off, and the fear of dropping out of the Champions League that has been present for a number of months.
Against Galatasaray, Arne Slot and his squad needed to overturn a one-goal deficit and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But following the ensemble of boos that chased them off the Anfield pitch after Sunday’s drab draw to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, they needed a big performance too.
And on that count, finally, the Reds delivered.
How Liverpool defeated Galatasaray
Many of Slot’s post-match interviews this season have been beatdowns, but this time, the Dutchman was all smiles after a comprehensive victory that Jamie Carragher dubbed the best of the season.
Liverpool were miles ahead of their recent level, and now they need to sustain this standard at the business end of the season. There is a lot to play for, fifth in the Premier League, heading to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarters and looking to avenge last year’s European defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
To hit their targets, they must play with the same kind of rip-roaring intensity that characterised their win over Galatasaray. Gala manager Okan Buruk told Peter Schmeichel after the Anfield loss that he was taken aback by Liverpool’s pressure and energy, non-existent for much of the English side’s season.
Liverpool drew from the crowd, as has happened so many times across the years on nights such as these. Mohamed Salah rallied after a wretched first half to produce a goal-and-assist performance, and while he no longer has Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane beside him, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike played with elite quality.
Slot made a tactical tweak, drawing Salah closer into the danger area, easing his duties out wide. Ekitike and Wirtz’s combined energy was infectious, and it allowed Salah, 33, to channel the potency that has proved invaluable for the Merseysiders over so many years.
In that, there was a certain Firmino-esque air about the performance, but while Ekitike and Wirtz share attributes with the iconic Brazilian, there was another member of the Reds side who is proving himself to be the Kop’s new Bobby.
Slot has found Liverpool’s new Firmino
You probably weren’t expecting this next part to be about Milos Kerkez, but here’s why the young left-back is becoming Slot’s own version of Firmino, who scored 111 goals and supplied 75 assists across 362 appearances for Liverpool, winning the lot.
When Liverpool signed Firmino from Hoffenheim for a fee shy of £30m, he was tasked with fronting a new strikeforce that had just lost its all-powerful talisman. It was an impossible job.
And the Brazilian toiled at the start, unable to prevent Brendan Rodgers from getting relegated and dipping in and out of the starting line-up. He scored only one goal across his first 17 Premier League appearances, with the advent of Jurgen Klopp failing to turn the fortunes around for Liverpool’s latest high-profile flop.
But you can say for yourself whether Firmino turned things around. It is a risky game to judge a new recruit too early, and Kerkez, who is only 22, is proving that is the case.
The Hungarian was immense against Galatasaray, uncontainable down the left channel. Liverpool retained 62% of the ball but outran the Turkish side by 3km. Against Spurs at the weekend, they were outrun by almost 9km (Andy Robertson started over Kerkez).
It hasn’t been plain sailing since Kerkez’s £40m move from Bournemouth to Merseyside last summer. In fact, he was branded a “nervous wreck” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in October, a flop who couldn’t cut the mustard on his step into the big time.
But this full-back’s athleticism and intent allow him to stand out and shine. He is the real deal, all right, and expertly overlapped to allow Wirtz to move inwards from the left wing, thereby affecting the game from optimum positions.
|
Milos Kerkez’s Performance |
|
|---|---|
|
Match Stats |
# |
|
Minutesb played |
90′ |
|
Goals + Assists |
0 + 0 |
|
Touches |
60 |
|
Accurate passes |
30/32 (94%) |
|
Chances created |
1 |
|
Crosses |
1/2 |
|
Possession lost |
10x |
|
Dribbles |
1/3 |
|
Recoveries |
4 |
|
Def. contributions |
6 |
|
Tackles + interceptions |
4 |
|
Clearances |
1 |
|
Duels won |
6/15 |
He won duels, recovered loose balls and kept things crisp in possession. His brutish start to the match was lapped up by a fanbase whose trepidation was undeniable. This was a European knockout night at Anfield. Liverpool were a goal down on aggregate. But this crowd’s mood had been dampened by interminably disappointing displays, and someone needed to step up and remind the great stadium that this is Liverpool and European nights are their forte.
Kerkez is not the finished product, but he’s starting to make more than a few look a little foolish, having written him off so early after admittedly skittish and uncertain showings.
Recently, there have been some silly claims about Kerkez’s start to life at Liverpool. Some pundits have questioned why Robertson hasn’t been playing so much, but they are a little late to the pile-on, with the young full-back having been going from strength to strength in recent months.
Analyst Raj Chohan described him as a “floor-raising player” after the 4-0 win. What does he mean by that? Kerkez’s drive and passion effectively improve those around him, crafting collective coherence along with individual merit.
There’s something Firmino-esque about that, with Bobby a selfless and giving forward, working not for himself but for the unit. He’s “a machine“, as commented by Sky Sports’ Izzy Christiansen, and he’s only getting better.
Kerkez has a long way to go before he can call himself a club legend like Firmino or Robertson, but there’s no question that he’s got the potential to become one of the best left-backs in the world, apt to replace an irreplaceable figure in the Scottish veteran.
Firmino stepped into Luis Suarez’s boots all those years ago. He couldn’t copy the Uruguayan, one of the greatest goalscorers in history, so he made the role his own.
He was a monster v Galatasaray: Liverpool have found another Szoboszlai
Liverpool managed to secure their place in the next round of the Champions League last night.