Kerkez warns Liverpool cannot sustain Iraola's high press for full 90 minutes

Milos Kerkez has conceded that Liverpool cannot execute Andoni Iraola’s high-pressing tactics for an entire match, raising early questions about the new manager’s system after the Reds recorded their first win of the season — a 2-0 victory over Ipswich at Portman Road on Friday night.

Alexander Isak scored both goals inside the opening 10 minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing both assists, as Liverpool also claimed their first clean sheet of the campaign following back-to-back 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. Bradley Barcola made his debut as a £123 million signing, with fellow new arrivals Victor Munoz, Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo also featuring.

Kerkez, who played under Iraola at Bournemouth, offered a candid assessment of the demands the Spaniard places on his squad. “When you press like us, it’s a bit tough to do it for all the game and all the 90 minutes,” the left-back told the club website. “We can do it for the first 30 to 35 minutes and in some ways we can do that in the second half at the beginning — but then it’s all about staying compact and talking to each other.”

The Hungarian international was nonetheless encouraged by the overall display, pointing to defensive solidity as a key marker of progress. “As defenders we are happy with the clean sheet. We defended pretty well their crosses and the set-pieces. Everyone was 100 per cent focused,” he said.

Kerkez also suggested the squad is beginning to absorb Iraola’s methods. “I think everyone felt better on the pitch and I think myself also when I look at it I’m getting more into the play and better,” he added, before urging caution given the fixture congestion ahead: “Now games come every three days and it’s onto the next.”

Iraola himself was measured in his post-match reaction, crediting the first-half performance while acknowledging a drop in attacking threat after the break. “We put a lot of pressure on the opposition and I think we started really strong,” he said. “In the second half we controlled the game, we defended well, but we didn’t have this threat offensively, probably.”

The win arrives at a turbulent moment for the club. Arne Slot’s departure this summer was followed by sporting director Richard Hughes also leaving, with FSG chief Michael Edwards having already exited. Iraola now faces the task of building cohesion quickly, with Kerkez’s admission suggesting the squad still has significant work to do before the pressing system can be sustained across a full 90 minutes.