New Delhi, 06 October (H.S.): Ahead of the high-profile English Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City, Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez has said that his team will have to produce its best performance to beat a strong Manchester City side.

In an interview with JioStar, Kerkez spoke at length about improving the team’s defensive weaknesses, working under manager Andoni Iraola and the challenge posed by Manchester City.

On conceding too many goals in the opening matches, Kerkez said, “At the start of the season, especially for us as defenders, conceding so many goals has been quite frustrating. We want clean sheets and we want the attackers to score goals. So, we have worked on improving those aspects this week, and I think things should improve once the match starts. We have had meetings and always conduct video analysis for the defenders. So, we want to improve a lot in this area, and we have the quality to do so. We know that we have to be better defensively. It is still only the beginning of the season, so there is time to improve. We just have to keep working and remain focused on the next match.”

Mindset of Fighting Until the End

Speaking about the team’s determination to fight until the final whistle, he said, “We fight until the end; that is in our DNA. That is the identity of this club. But in both matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, we had to come from behind, and that is not the ideal situation. So, we have to improve our defensive transitions and be absolutely clear about which defender stays back to provide cover and which one goes forward to support the attackers. We do not want to have to come from behind in every match; we want to put ourselves in a winning position from the start. That is the mentality we need to have. We cannot continually rely on late comebacks. We have to start strongly, remain organised as a unit and ensure that the opposition does not get easy opportunities to score the opening goal.”

Positive Environment Under Iraola

Speaking about working with manager Andoni Iraola, Kerkez said, “Before coming to Liverpool, I worked with Iraola at Bournemouth for two years, so I know him quite well. My teammates at the club are also happy that he is here. They like Iraola, they like his coaching style, and the training sessions are also a lot of fun. So, I think working in a positive environment under his leadership is good for our club. We work very intensely, and if we want to challenge for the title, that is exactly how we have to work, and everyone is happy. The players are now becoming more accustomed to the style in which Iraola wants us to play. We spent the entire pre-season with him, and the hard work we put in during that period is now visible in our Premier League matches. We have to improve certain things that were not right, but apart from that, we have the quality and, if we continue to work on what he wants from us, we can certainly challenge for the title.”

Praise for the New Signings

Speaking about new teammates Victor Muñoz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola, Kerkez said, “Victor helped us a lot against Newcastle United. He came on as a substitute, won a penalty for us that helped make it 2-2, and he also had a great game against Nottingham Forest, where his goal brought us level. He is a fantastic player, he is working hard, and he just needs to keep going in the same way.”

He added, “Goals are what motivate a striker like Isak. He did not have the best season last year and is trying his best to make up for it by scoring in as many matches as possible this season. Once he starts scoring regularly, he will be difficult to stop. Barcola is also a fantastic player; everyone knows him. You can see his quality and ability, but he still has a lot to improve. He is very quick, a good dribbler, and he is going to help us a lot this season. I do not get involved in transfer fees. We have spent a lot of money to bring Barcola in, and the transfer market is constantly changing, but he is a fantastic player and will certainly help our challenge for the Premier League title.”

The Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City will be broadcast live on JioHotstar and Star Sports from 9:00 pm on Sunday, October 11.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar