Liverpool star ‘nightmare’ as two new signigs gel – Three things learned in loss vs Crystal Palace
Liverpool suffered a penalty shootout defeat against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Sunday afternoon in the Community Shield.
The Reds held the lead on two occasions after Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong’s goals, but both times Palace managed to claw their way back into the game.
With the score 2-2 after 90 minutes, Palace managed to win the penalty shootout 3-2 to lift the Community Shield.
Here are three things Liverpool News learned from the game:
Milos Kerkez positional issues exposed in Liverpool debut
New signing Milos Kerkez started at left-back ahead of Andy Robertson, with Arne Slot giving the Hungary international his first-team debut.
However, it was a game to forget for the 21-year-old, who very quickly would have been made aware of how high the standards are at Anfield.
The former Bournemouth defender played as a left-back, but acted like a left winger as he kept going forward whenever he had the chance, without thinking about the consequences.
This saw Palace exploit the space left behind and he became a defensive liability for Liverpool.
Kerkez also lost possession on numerous occasions and this is surely not what Slot would have wanted from him.
Virgil van Dijk endures nightmare in defence
Virgil van Dijk, who signed a new contract at Liverpool, struggled in defence for the Reds and this game was an example that his age is finally catching up with him.
He looked off the pace, was not as sharp as he’s been in recent years and he appeared to make the wrong decision on numerous occasions.
| Stat | Value |
| Ground duels (won) | 2 (0) |
| Possession lost | 10 |
| Long balls (accurate) | 9 (3) |
| Penalty conceded | 1 |
| Total tackles | 0 |
The Netherlands international struggled on the defensive side of things as well, and without Ibrahima Konate, it could have been a lot worse for the Reds captain.
Hopefully, Slot works with the 34-year-old in the coming days and ensures he knows what he needs to do in the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on 15 August.
Florian Wirtz and Ekitike already gelling with the Liverpool attackers
It did not seem like Florian Wirtz and Ekitike were making their competitive debuts for the Reds and that’s a testament to Slot’s management.
Both players arrived on big transfer fees with high expectations, and as far as debuts go, they’ve done an exceptional job so far.
Slot has used the pre-season campaign well to get his attackers singing from the same hymn sheet and watching them on song against Palace will certainly have delighted the fans.
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