At the beginning of 2021, Stefan Bajcetic (18) moved from Celta Vigo’s youth team to Liverpool FC’s youth team. Almost two years later, the midfielder played the full 90 minutes in his first Merseyside derby against Everton and was voted Man of the Match by Reds supporters.
“He’s a great player and a great person. He’s always trying to work hard and since he’s been with us he’s maybe our best player. Hopefully he keeps that confidence and just keeps going.”Mohamed Salah ennobled the youngster after the 2-0 win.
Klopp excited
Coach Jürgen Klopp was also satisfied with his protégé and judged his performance: “Pretty good. And we put him in a new position. Actually you have to ask him, I don’t think he’s ever played that position before.”
“He came here as a kid as a centre-back, played in a couple of games now as a six for us and tonight in an eighth and in a lot of moments on the double six, he did that very well. It was a pretty good performance to be honest”explained the former Dortmunder.
Good stats in the Merseyside Derby
Yesterday’s derby could have been the next step in Bajcetic’s young career. In the course of the game, the 18-year-old played two key passes, which resulted in a shot on goal but not in a goal.
The young Spaniard also won two of two duels, recovered the ball five times and intercepted two passes. It’s no exaggeration to say that the young talent pulled the strings in midfield and played a huge part in LFC’s derby win with his spirited performance.
playing style
Basically, you can tell that the right foot was originally on the defensive. Bajcetic is strong in winning the ball, anticipating and keeping an overview even under pressure. He tries to bring this calm and courageous style of play into Liverpool’s attacking game as well.
The midfield engine enlivens the Reds’ offensive game with precise short and long passes, with which he has already created a goal threat on several occasions. Exactly these components were missing in the ninth place of the Premier League.
Bajcetic jumps into the breach
The lack of form in the current season is due, among other things, to the fact that there are no top-class options in midfield and seeded players like Fabinho (29) have been chasing their form for weeks. The main problem is that both in summer and in winter there was a failure to refill adequately.
In the summer, the Klopp club borrowed Arthur Melo (25) from Juventus shortly before the transfer ended. However, the Brazilian is still waiting for his first Premier League appearance due to injury problems. In the winter, Liverpool were linked with the likes of Teun Koopmeiners, Rúben Neves and Sofyan Amrabat, but remained inactive.
According to reports, the English would only like to retrofit heavily in the coming summer. Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham (19) has long been the main and desired target. Accordingly, Bajcetic had to and must step into the breach for the time being. So far, the variable youngster has made 13 appearances across all competitions, but more minutes will undoubtedly follow.
Part of the new LFC?
The Spaniard with Serbian roots is currently working flat out to become a cornerstone of Liverpool midfield in the future. In all likelihood, this will change significantly in the summer.
According to a report in The Mirror, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (29), James Milner (37) and Naby Keïta (27) will be allowed to leave the club in the summer. Fabinho is also no longer untouchable due to his downward form curve. According to the report, it is also agreed that Arthur’s €37.5 million purchase option will not be exercised.
Accordingly, the big beneficiary of the midfield break could be Bajcetic. It’s not without reason that the Reds signed their talent to a long-term contract earlier this year. If the up-and-coming Spaniard continues to use the coming weeks and months so impressively, he could soon act as the face of a new midfield axis.
Liverpool ties high-flyer Bajcetic
