Liverpool boss Arne Slot has shed light on why he decided to take Milos Kerkez off during the first half of their Premier League clash with Burnley, stressing that the full-back seemed to accept the decision.Speaking to reporters, Slot explained that while players rarely challenge him directly in meetings, he understands they might share different feelings in private. “In front of me, he appeared to understand. Maybe at home, he’ll say something else, but to me, he showed he got it,” Slot remarked.The manager pointed to the reaction that followed a challenge involving Kerkez. Burnley players surrounded the referee, prompting the official to wave away shouts for a booking. Slot feared that the situation placed Kerkez under a spotlight, making him vulnerable to a harsher decision if he committed another foul.“You could even argue whether it was a foul at all, but the pressure from their players and fans made it risky. If he had stayed on and made another challenge, I felt the referee would have been under pressure to show a yellow card,” Slot explained.According to him, that atmosphere, combined with Burnley supporters pushing the referee on every call, influenced his choice to make the substitution before half-time.“Again, he told me he understood, though I can’t say what he might tell his friends later,” Slot concluded with a smile.
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