Arne Slot knows £40m player will be the key to Liverpool ending Crystal Palace's unbeaten streak - opinion
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Liverpool have a tough test against Crystal Palace this weekend, and the players need to step up their performance.
The Reds were not able to do the double over Palace in their Premier League title-winning season, with their final day game against the London club ending in a 1-1 draw.
They also struggled to defeat them in the Community Shield game in August, where Arne Slot’s side lost on penalties after a close 90 minutes of football against the FA Cup champions.
But they do head into this weekend’s fixture in good form, as they are unbeaten in the league so far and sit top of the table, five points clear of their nearest rival, Arsenal.
One issue the side may have, though, is on the left-hand side, as Milos Kerkez, in his Liverpool debut, struggled against Ismaila Sarr despite some good spells during the game.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
The Senegalese star was a nightmare for Liverpool, but especially for Kerkez, to deal with for the duration of the game, as he scored Palace’s second goal of the game.
There was reason to believe that the 27-year-old winger would be out of Saturday’s fixture after limping off during the Aston Villa game.
However, it has been revealed that he will feature alongside Yeremy Pino in this game, which makes the Hungarian’s job very difficult at Selhurst Park.
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While Kerkez was a force going forward in terms of creativity, his defensive display was criticised as he was not able to deal with the speed and skill of Sarr.
He was dribbled past twice down that side and lost possession nine times when he faced Palace, which is not good enough when they are a lethal side on the counter.
His performances have vastly improved in the most recent games against Arsenal and Everton, with the former a real highlight as he was able to keep Noni Madueke at bay on the left flank.
It is that exact performance which is needed, marking Sarr closely, using his strength to outmuscle the winger, and not pushing up too far that he is not able to track back quickly.
If he can unlock a career-best performance in the shirt so far, it will no doubt mean Slot’s side can extend their unbeaten run.
While it is difficult to predict how he will fare in the game, it is hoped that the confidence from the past game could trickle over into this performance.
But depending on how the team collectively starts against Palace, an Andy Robertson appearance would be necessary to shore up the defence on that side.
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Robertson proved against Burnley that he could stop any attacks and be a safer option down the left side to see out the game.
It all depends on how Kerkez performs, but there is a fair argument to make that the Scotsman is the perfect choice to prevent Sarr from causing trouble down that side in the second half.