Stefan Bajcetic: An Integral Piece in Liverpool’s Puzzling Future

While most of Liverpool’s players have travelled away from Merseyside to fulfill their duties during the international break, one man has been spending more and more time on the turf at the AXA training centre.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed earlier this month that Stefan Bajcetic has entered his ‘pre-season’ and that he could be back in team training by the end of the month. Recent images of Bajcetic have since surfaced on social media running on the AXA turf and depicting him having grown a considerable amount of muscle in the last year or so.

The Liverpool youngster has been hard at work to transform his body while persistent growing problems have prevented him from playing on the pitch. Now as he nears a return, Liverpool will be careful not to rush Bajcetic back too soon. Even if there is no denying, his return to the team could be a huge boost during what is left of the campaign.

Making History

Recently, we have become accustomed to young Liverpool players breaking records, left, right and centre. But it’s Bajcetic who set this trend last season. Having caught the eye in pre-season of that summer, he gradually broke into Klopp’s first team and impressed so much so that eventually he was impossible to leave out of the starting line-up.

During that period, Bajcetic became the youngest player ever to play for Liverpool in the Champions League coming on against Ajax at just 17 years, 10 months and 22 days.

A few months later, Bajcetic broke another landmark by becoming the third youngest goal-scorer in Liverpool history in the Premier League behind only Michael Owen and Raheem Sterling when he netted in a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at 18 years, two months and four days old.

He put in Man of the Match displays against the likes of Chelsea and Everton, and even started against Real Madrid at Anfield in what was an incredible few months for the teenager.

Bajcetic by Numbers

First and foremost, last season Bajcetic stood-out for Liverpool in the number six position for his defensive ability. The youngster came into the Liverpool midfield at a time when Fabinho was really struggling defensively.

During the course of the season, Bajcetic ended-up averaging the most interceptions per 90 (1.55) among Liverpool’s midfielders in the Premier League. He also won a relatively strong 59.2% of his 8.49 defensive duels per 90 in all competitions which was better than Fabinho’s 58.6% rate from 7.26 per 90.

He also ranked third for tackles and interceptions combined in all competitions out of Liverpool’s entire squad during the campaign (3.57 per 90) – behind only Thiago Alcantara (5.06 per 90) and James Milner (3.92 per 90).

On top of that Bajcetic (10.19 per 90) also averaged more recoveries than Fabinho (9.58 per 90), and was just in general a better option than the Brazilian at the time (and most of Liverpool’s other midfielders).

Bajcetic in Possession

While Bajcetic’s defensive ability was a huge asset another reason why Klopp used him so frequently was because of his ability on the ball.

Bajcetic simply oozed quality in possession. He was brilliant under pressure and was able to dictate the tempo of the game. He often liked to pick the ball up in the mid-third of the pitch. Close to 59% of his touches came around the half-way line – which is where he operated best in a progressive role.

This is also one of the most competitive areas of the pitch, where you are the most likely to be pressed. But Bajcetic was able to handle that pressure really well. Often he would pass the ball on quickly, but a lot of the times he was also capable of beating his opponents as well.

Last season in all competitions, Bajcetic ranked in sixth place for take-ons attempted (2.54 per 90) behind only Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luis Diaz among Liverpool’s squad. This also made him the most prolific in the metric among Liverpool’s midfielders.

But not only did he attempt a high volume of take-ons, he also succeeded in a high volume as well, ranking sixth in the squad for successful take-ons (1.13 per 90). Essentially, one of his best traits was that he was able to excel in high-pressure situations, beat his opponents and open up spaces for Liverpool.

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Bajcetic’s Passing

When Bajcetic wasn’t attempting take-ons, he was also a very progressive passer. Bajcetic was always looking to play forward passes into dangerous territories. In the Premier League just 17.87% of his passes were backward passes for Liverpool, the rest were either lateral or forward passes. This may explain why his pass completion rate was relatively low at 79.7% – Bajcetic definitely liked to to take risks, which often offer higher rewards and isn’t necessarily a bad trait for a midfielder.

During the 2022 calendar year it speaks volumes of Bajcetic’s talent that out of U21 midfielders he averaged the most progressive passes (6.28 per 90) in Europe’s top five leagues, above Jude Bellingham in second place.

His ability to constantly look up and try to progress the ball was almost Thiago Alcantara esque. Midfielders of that ilk are rare in the game, which is why Bajcetic was surrounded by so much hype. However, sometimes Bajcetic still needed to improve on his decision making. Just 55.56% of his progressive passes were accurate last season. That’s the lowest success rate out of U21 midfielders who attempted at least 5 progressive passes per 90.

Looking to the Future

Overall, Bajcetic is still one of Liverpool’s most exciting young talents. He’s just underwent what I would refer to as ‘Erling Haaland treatment’ at Liverpool. The Norwegian spent a similar length of time while having a growth spurt at Molde away from the game and in the gym, bulking up massively, before exploding onto the scene.

Liverpool will hope Bajcetic’s work can reap similar rewards. He’s got the flair and the brain to make it in the game – now it seems like he’s picked up some muscle as well.

Having already played in a number of different positions during his time at the club, including at right-back earlier this season – his versatility will be another huge asset.

There is no pressure on him to perform right away. Liverpool will ease him back. It’s more likely that we will only see the best of him next season. But even just to have him around the squad, and to be involved in Jurgen Klopp’s final few months could prove to be a valuable experience for Bajcetic, and a boost for Liverpool.