Milos Kerkez admitted fatigue played a role in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
The Reds made the 430-mile trip to the south coast just 62 hours after their 4-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray, which secured a place in the quarter-finals.
Milos Kerkez had equalised after Danny Welbeck’s opener, but the Brighton forward struck again in the second half to seal the win and hand Liverpool their 10th league defeat of the season.
With only a brief 20-minute training session on Friday and several key players – including Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, and Alisson Becker – absent, the Hungary international acknowledged the tight turnaround took its toll on the squad.
“I think they definitely played well and had more chances,” Milos Kerkez said. “I think we didn’t create as much as we wanted. It was a tough day – I think you could see some of us were maybe a little bit tired.
“But I don’t like using it as an excuse. We know where we are in the standings in the Premier League, and we know we have to push.
“Of course, it’s maybe a bit of an advantage (to Brighton), but still, very disappointed that we couldn’t win.”
Milos Kerkez added, “It’s tough. Hugo (Ekitike) went off early, and he really helps us a lot with deep runs and one-on-one actions.
“When Rio Ngumoha came on, he tried and was really good in one-on-ones, but on a day like this, we couldn’t really create a lot.”
Asked whether the international break comes at a good time, Reds head coach Arne Slot said: “Yeah, it’s a break for me, maybe it’s a break for you, but it’s not a break for the players.
“I saw this today for the first time, and maybe if I’m saying something wrong now, then I’m wrong, but I thought I read today (Thomas) Tuchel, the England national team manager, said to 15 players they had to come in later during the camp.
“And if I am correct, but I have to read all the names one more time, those were mainly the players who have played Champions League and played so many games this season.
“Unfortunately for us, it’s the only country where we don’t have internationals, so all the other ones will probably use our players again twice.
“I think, but it’s also something I’m going to ask our data department, that a lot of our players are in the top 10 in terms of playing minutes, because I have so many times had to play the same players because of the model we are having, because of the injuries we are having.
“We don’t have a big squad, we always have to come back to the same players. But these same players today showed character because I thought I saw that all the ones who played on Wednesday were still able to compete in the end.
“Maybe not as fresh as they were Wednesday, but they didn’t give up, and that’s an important asset to have for the last period of the season,” Milos Kerkez concluded.
Read more: GHANSU unveils sponsors ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup Campaign
Federico Chiesa withdraws from Italy squad for upcoming international break
Arne Slot issues Hugo Ekitike and Alisson Becker injury update after Brighton loss
