Liverpool great Michael Owen rips first year Reds defender for looking like “a bag of nerves”
Liverpool dropped three important points in their midweek match from Molineux and Michael Owen did not hold back criticizing this first year Reds defender.
There is plenty of blame to go around after Liverpool´s midweek loss to Wolverhampton on Tuesday, but one Reds legend is taking aim at someone specifically. Michael Owen pointed the finger at Milos Kerkez following the slip up that could cost Arne Slot´s side a spot in the top five.
Owen to Kerkez: “calm down”
It was an ugly performance in the West Midlands against a Wolves side scraping the bottom of the table. Liverpool held on to possession for most of the night, but were desperately lacking in the attacking third, and eventually that cost them. Rodrigo Gomes put the home side ahead in the 78th minute. Mohammed Salah leveled Liverpool five minutes later, but a stoppage time winner from Andre snatched three points from Liverpool and could leave them on the outside of the top five.
Andre winning it in stoppage time! 😍 pic.twitter.com/29p5WhQiCc
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 4, 2026
It was just the third win in the league for Wolves, and former Reds legend was quick place blame on Kerkez who was spotlighted in after the match. Owen wondered if the Hungarian, who is in his first year with Liverpool, is up for the challenge of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
”I can’t warm to Kerkez, I’m afraid," Owen scathed in his post-match analysis with Premier League Productions. “He looks like a bag of nerves, he looks like he doesn’t want the ball, he looks like he’s an emotional defender. He’s playing like this [shaking] all the time, it’s like, ‘calm down, man’, you’re in possession of the ball a lot of the time, just relax, it’s like he’s in a trance constantly. I liked Kerkez at Bournemouth, but Liverpool is a different kettle of fish. You’ve got to be able to manage pressure, all the eyes are on you, and it just looks like the club is a bit too big for him at the moment.”
Top five spot in jeopardy
The 22 year old has been a staple in Slot´s back four, playing 27 matches in his debut season at Anfield. He, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are fixtures in the starting eleven but, but they have conceded 39 goals, which is more than any of the top six teams in the league.
Read every word from Arne Slot’s post-match press conference after Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 3, 2026
Owen didn´t stop at Kerkez. He was quick ask questions over stars that have carried the club over the last few years. “Straight away in four places Liverpool are weaker, much weaker, than last season,” Owen explained. “Is that transition or is Salah getting older? Is Gakpo not quite the same this season? The full-backs are not as good as the previous full-backs so they’re definitely going to weaken the team. I think they pensioned off Andy Robertson a little bit too soon; I think he should still be playing now.”
After the away loss in Molineux, Chelsea see the door open to the top five. The Blues will take on Aston Villa from Villa Park on Wednesday. Should they secure the three points away from home, they would jump Liverpool in the standings and knock them out of Champions League position. That final spot could all come down to late meeting between the Reds and the Blues to on May 9th.
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