Bobby Clark: Liverpool’s Next Midfield Star

19-year-old Bobby Clark has taken to first-team football effortlessly and is quickly becoming Liverpool’s hottest prospect. The youngster was introduced into the first team following a run of injuries to Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.

Despite such testing circumstances, Clark has looked fantastic and has even been grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. I’ve certainly been amazed by his talent and seriously think that he could become an important player for the Reds over the next few years.

Clark’s Sparta Prague Brilliance

Clark put in an immense performance against Sparta Prague in Liverpool’s 6-1 win on Thursday, showcasing his brilliant raw talent, impressive maturity, and even physicality. His ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, particularly in the opening 20 minutes, was quite sensational.

His high-intensity pressing alongside Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez forced a mistake after just eight minutes. That mistake left Clark through on goal, as he slotted the ball home to score his first-ever senior Liverpool goal. Clark was back at it again with his immense high press, this time to dispossess the Sparta Prague defender. His tackle ended up being a brilliant pass to the feet of Salah, who dispatched coolly. Therefore, Clark had notched a goal and an assist in the space of two minutes.

Although the official Man of the Match award went to Mo Salah, Clark would’ve been a deserved winner, too. The youngster boasted an impressive 92% pass completion, with 49/53 attempted passes being accurate. His creative play was brilliant, too, with two shots on target and a 100% dribble success rate, showing how difficult it was for the Prague players to get near him.

His defensive work was incredible, too, with the teenager winning four of his five ground duels. No Liverpool player won more ground duels than Clark on the night, despite him coming off with an injury in the 73rd minute.

Long-Term Answers

In my opinion, Clark undoubtedly offers a long-term answer to some of Liverpool’s midfield dilemmas. Although we have seen a significant rise in goal involvement from our midfielders this season, Clark could be an absolute gem regarding creativity from the midfield three.

His confidence to drive with the ball and his eye for a pass reminds me a lot of Harvey Elliott, but I would say Clark offers more physicality. Clark’s positional intelligence impressed me a lot on Thursday, too. Whether in the ten positions or even out on either of the wings, he still significantly impacted the game.

That intelligence created even more space for Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo to have a big impact on the game. Although he may not be ready to be a crucial first-team player every week, he will undoubtedly make himself into that over the next few years.