The way he started, it looked like it could be a long night on that side (funny how Arsenal focused more on their right and us against their left), but actually grew into the game. Still, it depends which action exactly. Sometimes he’s able to do impressive individual defensive actions, sometimes he does it in a way that I wish to pull my hair out. Consistency is needed. Also, better line-holding with the rest of defenders (something Robbo still struggles with at times). And Gakpo did a good defensive job on Timber, because he grew into one of (if not the) the best full backs in the league with the variety he offers and intelligence he attacks with, going inside or outside.
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He didn’t start very well, but he got progressively better. In the second half, Kerkez completely took Saka out of the game, you wouldn’t know that he was on until he was subbed off.
The issue with him is the quality in possession. He has to improve there, his crosses have been terrible. Hopefully, he picks up a thing or two from Robertson.
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There was one challenge when he left a lazy leg in, but otherwise he played Saka really, really well.
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Yeah that sequence where Saka tried 5 tricks one after the other all without beating him, before deciding he needed to recycle it and rolled it back to RB is the perfect illustration of narratives being based on people seeing what they believe rather than believing what they see. As a FB in the situations your job isn’t to win the ball, it’s to not get beaten and despite Arsenal using Saka as their main focus of attacks I think there was one 1 time, quite a distance from the box, where that happened. The rest of the time he either won the ball convincingly or forced Saka to go backwards. The response to the contest is properly bizarre.
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He got beaten once and another where Saka got the shot off
Kerkez percentage of dribblers tackled 25/26 - 69.6%, also 90th percentile for challenges lost.
Alexander Arnold percentage of dribblers tackled 24/25 - 46.7%, 2nd percentile for challenges lost.
Robbo, last 365 days - percentage of dribblers tackled - 48.4% (50% this season) also 63% percentile for challenges lost (72nd percentile this season)
Conor Bradley, 25/26 - 44,2 % percentage of dribblers tackled and 1.16 pecertile challenges lost
Kerkez is a very good 1 v 1 defender.
- percentile of challenges lost isn’t as good of a comparison as this can be down to how many you face and varies more from how a team, including the opposition setup against you, just shows, that in this instance Kerkez does a lot and loses very few challenges.
Stats from FB ref
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On of my favourite bits from his defensive display, his body position was excellent, his feet were alive - on his toes and for me that was the one where he made Saka lose confidence in taking him on.
Although he did make the rash challenge just after where he got skipped past
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Honesty watching the game yesterday I had a thought of making a video of Kerkez to send round my lads to help them understand 1v 1 defending. It had everything, even one where he got it wrong!
First principle of defending one on one is not to win the ball, it’s to delay the attacker and block the path to goal. But because Kerkez is doing that, and he isn’t sliding in to win the ball, the narrative says Saka had the beating of him - he absolutely didn’t. It was totally the opposite.
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It’s hardly the first time we’ve been here, is it? It happened with Alexander-Arnold too, I remember those days of Doku supposedly running him ragged despite not actually creating anything.
The one where he dived in, not perfect but he has done it before and been successful, he keeps an attacker guessing and he will only get better with experience.
Although, I don’t ever see a defender fake a challenge for the ball anymore.
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To be honest, it had more to do with Doku not having any end product after blitzing past his marker, rather than Trent doing a good defensive job on him.
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I think that’s a similar mistake to make. It’s not about Alexander-Arnold “doing a good defensive job on him” so much as playing the role he was supposed to play, neutering Doku by not challenging him directly but bogging him down long enough for someone else to cover and cut out any opportunities for him to create anything.
I don’t think it is similar. Doku consistently blows by players (TAA or others) and demonstrates a consistent lack of end product.
On the other hand, Saka is a consistent goal threat that was ineffective. You can argue whether this was down to a poor performance by Saka or a good one by Kerkez but it isn’t a similar situation.
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Kerkez owning Saka @Limiescouse even shows the bit you loved
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That is excellent. Puts pressure on when Sako tries to go inside. Offers the outside that he’s always got covered. Textbook defending imo.
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But that absolutely needless foul on 20 seconds, giving Arsenal a set-piece; “nice and aggressive, he’s in Saka’s face, not giving him any kind of space”.
Well done, Neil Mellor. Top tier punditry that.
But he can’t defend!
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I know it’s just one of those things 
.
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