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With Stefan Bajcetic sidelined for many of 2023 as he grows into his physique, Leo Rutherford explores precisely what he can supply when he returns for Liverpool.
In a season that was turbulent at greatest for Liverpool final day trip, a silver lining was found via the unprecedented growth of a possible famous person.
Stefan Bajcetic might have been studying his commerce within the crimson half of Manchester if it wasn’t for fears that post-Brexit visa guidelines would complicate the switch.
As a substitute, Liverpool swooped in to take the then-17-year-old centre-back from Celta Vigo for a measly £224,000, in one of many membership’s best dealings in latest instances.
{The teenager} impressed tremendously within the academy setup as each a central defender and deep-lying midfielder with technical safety on the ball past his youthful years – incomes a hard and fast function within the UEFA Youth League marketing campaign at simply 17.
Exterior of the coaches in Kirkby and people linked to the academy, nevertheless, not many can have foreseen the Spaniard’s rise to the world stage because the Reds’ new breakout star in midfield.
Placing the brakes on
Hailed by Mohamed Salah because the facet’s “greatest participant” within the midst of his spectacular run within the crew, and “a wise child, a extremely good participant” by his supervisor, Bajcetic took little time to place his identify up in lights and enhance an underperforming midfield.
5 months into the present marketing campaign, the No. 43’s solitary begin to this point got here in September’s away win at LASK, the place he featured predominantly as a right-back till a mid-game tactical change was made.
Frustratingly, an ongoing calf difficulty and rehabilitation programme commitments associated to his development have halted his stellar first-team progress, as Jurgen Klopp reaffirmed the necessity to “put the brakes on” as a precaution.
As with the absent Thiago, there may be little details about the doable timeframe of a return for the now 19-year-old, however Liverpool supporters can be expectant and excited to welcome Bajcetic again within the New Yr.
The dynamic of the midfield, nevertheless, has shifted remarkably from when he departed the pitch for the ultimate time final season in March’s defeat at Bournemouth.
Fabinho and Jordan Henderson‘s positions have been shared by the brand new arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai, and although there may be nonetheless loads of room for enchancment, Liverpool have a robust set of choices in the midst of the park.
What can Bajcetic supply to Liverpool 2.0?
What can Bajcetic truly carry to this reformed facet with critical aspirations of the title? A little bit little bit of every thing, actually.
The Man of the Match show in his first ever style of the Merseyside derby in February reaffirmed his devotion to an all-round sport: two probabilities created, 76 % go accuracy, 100% aerial duel success, seven tackles tried and one clearance.
Regardless of being undeveloped bodily, and nonetheless being considerably recent out of youth soccer, Bajcetic shows an aggressiveness to interrupt up play while sustaining a robust studying of the sport on and off the ball.
Bajcetic’s present programme within the health club and talent to manoeuvre in tight areas would point out a want for the Reds to show the Spanish youth worldwide into one thing of a Gini Wijnaldum 2.0.
At his peak, contributing massively to Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League success, Wijnaldum was a bodily machine, with a freakish potential to recuperate possession shortly while being a pressure on the attacking facet too.
The at present absent 19-year-old attracted these complimentary comparisons to the previous fan favorite together with his signature half-turn when receiving the ball underneath stress from both Alisson or a centre-half.
Cody Gakpo reaped the rewards of this in final winter’s victory at Newcastle, when {the teenager} deceived Sean Longstaff within the buildup to Liverpool’s second objective to create 30 yards of open area to progress into.
Final season, this supplied a really great addition for a predictable and out-of-tune facet, because the bodily declining Fabinho evidenced a lack of potential within the first section of play which might show to be deadly.
* Stefan Bajcetic 2022/23 vs. Gini Wijnaldum 2019/20, Squawka Comparability Matrix
The pattern dimension for the previous is undoubtedly untimely, with solely 527 minutes of Premier League soccer underneath his belt and simply over 1,000 in all competitions for the reason that academy callup.
Nevertheless, the instruments and maturity which he possesses can’t be dismissed, as Liverpool stay on the hunt for options to a vulnerability at defending transitions.
Throughout the board, Bajcetic’s information in his restricted minutes holds up effectively towards the profile of participant it will seem Klopp and Co. are striving to morph him into, reinforcing the assumption amongst many who he was Liverpool’s strongest performing midfielder throughout his three-month spell within the crew.
“I like to sort out. I really like tackles!” he excitedly exclaimed in his post-match interview after an amazing defensive show towards Everton, and the ferocious facet to Bajcetic’s sport is actually prevalent.
In a Liverpool shirt, he boasts a wildly spectacular statistic of a 100% sliding sort out success price, with all seven of them retrieving the ball for his facet.
A capability to fly throughout the floor and make inch-perfect tackles shouldn’t be solely invaluable for withstanding stress, but additionally infectious for Klopp and the Anfield crowd too; a 20-yard chase with Wolves‘ Matheus Nunes earlier than swiping the ball from his ft acquired a standing ovation from the house crowd final yr.
This iteration of Klopp’s Liverpool possesses a renewed vitality and starvation to win duels and recuperate possession instantly, and the return of a high-spirited and decided Bajcetic would solely improve this.
The lacking piece
In the summertime, the Reds had been reportedly energetic in negotiations over quite a few months for a transfer for the dynamic Romeo Lavia from Southampton, till Chelsea swooped in to safe a £53 million deal.
The younger Belgian possesses electrifying expertise on the ball and, in truth, might have proved to be the lacking piece within the jigsaw for ‘Liverpool 2.0’.
Nevertheless, the deep damage issues for Lavia since arriving at Stamford Bridge have performed little to show that the Reds would have been higher off together with his providers, and the logic in proudly owning two exceptionally proficient younger midfielders with the identical age profile, in the identical function, is nearly non-existent.
* Stefan Bajcetic 2022/23 vs. Romeo Lavia 2022/23 comparability – Created utilizing DataMB instrument
As is visualised above, Lavia held a slender benefit on the defensive finish in final season’s displaying, however the rising expertise already on the Liverpool books evidenced a stronger potential to progress play than lots of the names mentioned to be on their summer season procuring record.
Even in a considerably unfamiliar place, no less than at first-team degree, Bajcetic showcased his passing vary from an inverted right-back place within the Europa League group opener, finishing seven out of 9 lengthy passes together with some helpful diagonal switches.
From boy to man
Liverpool actually aren’t wanting efficient ball-carriers of their ranks this season, with Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and even Endo, however one other actually wouldn’t go amiss as Klopp’s males look to battle on 4 fronts.
Bajcetic might not spring to thoughts first when March’s 7-0 thrashing of Man United is revisited, but in simply shy of quarter-hour off the bench, he accomplished essentially the most dribbles out of anybody on the pitch – together with the notable one towards Bruno Fernandes on the touchline.
Quite a bit has modified within the time he has spent on the sidelines – however not least for himself, with Bajcetic seeming to have shot up from his 6’1″ body and bulked out.
Designs over his function might have performed, too, with the teenager trialled in Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s hybrid right-back obligation towards each Leicester and LASK this season.
The second Bajcetic enters the Anfield turf for the primary time in no less than 10 months will undoubtedly be particular, and hopefully a case of selecting up the place we left off within the growth of a pleasant footballer with the world at his ft.
* This can be a visitor article for This Is Anfield by Leo Rutherford. Observe Leo on Twitter @leor61_. To submit an article for consideration, contact [email protected].
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