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The Badger

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rurikbird

rurikbird

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Looks like we have a proper budding star on our hands. Came in at LCM out of necessity because Thiago was injured and produced the best performance of his career so far. Creative and destructive in equal measure, playing alongside the brittle partnership of Fabinho and Henderson, he tied everything together. Can this role – the Thiago/Wijnaldum/Caicedo role – be actually his best and most useful at this point? Here is an interesting thought:





 
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I prefer him as an 8. For me he's too slight right now to be a 6 in a high line 4-3-3, but there's no denying he's been consistently good and doing exactly what has been asked from him. To deliver that performance aged 18 is exceptional.
 
I didn't think Bajcetic did anything special but what he did splendidly was the basics well. With a season or two under his belt, he'll grow to have more defining traits in his game and we'll really have some player on our hands.

Football is a simple game and Bajcetic played it well.
 
Two things stood out to me:
  1. His first touch seemed more assured than most of our attacking players' – from the very first contact with the ball he usually controls it in a way to either protect it or beat an opposition player, there is no doubt in his mind about what his body is capable of doing, so he can do fairly audacious things.
  2. In the first minute of the game he won a header against much larger Doucoure because of better positioning and anticipation. In the 84th or so minute shortly before being substituted, he once again won a clean 50/50 header against Doucoure. Given that entire Everton strategy seemed to hinge on winning headers and taking advantage of the knock-downs, those things are obviously important, but when an 18-year-old with still boyish physique keeps doing it against fully grown Premier League athletes, it looks like a miracle.
He hit a couple of nice passes, but I wouldn't say that at this point he has a developed "passing game." He is, however, capable of any kind of pass, even this:


When teammates passed to him under heavy pressure, I was afraid he would lose the ball a couple of times when he got into a tangle with an opposition player or two – maybe it would have been safer to release the ball earlier, but it's actually an encouraging sign that he's trying to shield the ball like Wijnaldum, even before he has fully developed physique for it. He didn't win those duels, but he kind of fought them to a draw, as a remember. Overall, for a first ever game as a #8, it's as encouraging a debut as one can imagine. He is not someone to overly rely on one eye-catching attribute – he is just all-around quality.
 
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My_Blood_Bleeds_Red said:
I didn't think Bajcetic did anything special but what he did splendidly was the basics well. With a season or two under his belt, he'll grow to have more defining traits in his game and we'll really have some player on our hands.
Football is a simple game and Bajcetic played it well.
Click to expand...


I completely agree with this.- He was decent. At best. Probably deserved his MOTM. He's very young so let's not go full 'full retard' on this. A promising talent? Sure... But for me.... I'll wait and see. He needs to eat a steak or two though. He's so lightweight and there is no disguising the fact he bitched out of 50/50 challenges consistantly all game. Whether that was a good thing or not - I'll leave that up to you. For me.... I'll take a belly fully full blood and thunder commitment than a prodgical foot with some occasional silky deft touches anyday.
 
[article]Mohamed Salah has hailed Stefan Bajcetic as Liverpool's best player since breaking into the first team.

The 18-year-old midfielder starred for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp's side registered their first Premier League win of 2023 with a 2-0 victory against Everton at Anfield.

Klopp will be delighted to see two of his forwards, Salah and Cody Gakpo, scoring but it was Bajcetic who stole all the plaudits.

And speaking after the game, Salah joined in on praising the teenager for his contribution to the Liverpool side.

'He's a great player and person, he always tries to work hard. Since he started playing for us, he has been our best player maybe so hopefully he keeps that confidence and keeps going,' Salah told Sky Sports.

Bajcetic played in a more advanced role than usual ahead of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho - and the fact he kept out the likes of Naby Keita and James Milner shows how highly Klopp regards him.

After hearing Salah's words, a humble Bajcetic said: 'To be fair, I played in a different position, I thought it would be less comfortable but it was good and I enjoyed it a lot. Mo Salah is probably one of the best players ever in Liverpool history so it is nice to hear a legend say that to me.

'I won more confidence playing at Anfield for a couple of games so I always love a tackle so I combine both and that is good.

'It was a great game, with the crowd and the derby. Hopefully we keep playing well and win more games.

Speaking about his rise to the first team, Bajcetic added: 'It's crazy, I was playing Under 18s a year ago and now I am playing at Anfield and that just happened in one year and I am really enjoying it.'

Bajcetic was awarded Man of the Match by Jamie Carragher who was very impressed by the young midfielder's performance.

'I'm going to give player of the match to Bajcetic,' he said. 'Nunez has been amazing. Salah has been. But for a young man of his age to play in a Merseyside derby and put in the performance he's done...

'He's kept players out who have won Champions Leagues in recent weeks.

'I wasn't sure if this was the game for him tonight given the power and physicality of Everton's midfield but he's been outstanding. He's dealt with the demands physically but also his quality on the ball.'
[/article]
 
You can clearly see how playing alongside Thiago has benefited Bajcetic recently. The way he made space for himself yesterday, with little turns or feints, was very Thiagoesque. Even with his vision and passing at times, too, albeit the execution isn't at Thiago's level. In many ways, I think Thiago's legacy here will be more about what the youngsters learn from him than his impact on results.
 
Red Astaire said:
I completely agree with this.- He was decent. At best. Probably deserved his MOTM. He's very young so let's not go full 'full retard' on this. A promising talent? Sure... But for me.... I'll wait and see. He needs to eat a steak or two though. He's so lightweight and there is no disguising the fact he bitched out of 50/50 challenges consistantly all game. Whether that was a good thing or not - I'll leave that up to you. For me.... I'll take a belly fully full blood and thunder commitment than a prodgical foot with some occasional silky deft touches anyday.
Click to expand...
I think that describes Bajcetic over Elliott in midfield quite well, the bit at the end
 
I said it in the other thread, but you can clearly see that he's deliberately not forcing anything.

Against the other younger players they could all learn something about when to hold on to the ball and when to let go.

I saw someone else talk about Gini, there were real similarities in last night's performance. Very encouraging
 
Red Astaire said:
...there is no disguising the fact he bitched out of 50/50 challenges consistantly all game.
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Not sure which game you were watching, but in the one I was watching he was putting himself about all over the place. Sure, he needs to put on some muscle but he's obviously got a lot more physical development to come at just 18. The fact that he's able to compete with his current frame is testament to his strength and balance. Harvey, who on the face of it looks stronger than Bajcetic, gets brushed off the ball like he isn't there sometimes. The lad's got a big future, for sure.
 
Red Astaire said:
I completely agree with this.- He was decent. At best. Probably deserved his MOTM. He's very young so let's not go full 'full retard' on this. A promising talent? Sure... But for me.... I'll wait and see. He needs to eat a steak or two though. He's so lightweight and there is no disguising the fact he bitched out of 50/50 challenges consistantly all game. Whether that was a good thing or not - I'll leave that up to you. For me.... I'll take a belly fully full blood and thunder commitment than a prodgical foot with some occasional silky deft touches anyday.
Click to expand...

Bitched out of challenges? What game where you watching? He's an 18yr old playing against a typically physical Everton side and he more than put himself about.

He was ok, nothing special, blah blah. I wonder what planet our fans are on at times. I'd expect it from the fruit loop brigade on here (cf one post above) but not you.

The lad showed guile, quality and controlled the midfield at 18, no one is exaggerating his quality, he has it all despite still clearly developing.
 
Steph getting a lot of plaudits and rightly so, however, we must mention Fabs whose hopeful return to form made us far more stable in MF
 
He was fucking wonderful. Every game he's growing in confidence and stature.

As far as coming through the ranks and longevity for us, he's going to be more Gerrard than Plessis. Whether that's me going"full retard" or not I couldn't give a shit
 
SummerOnions said:
I thought Fab was barely average. Looked nervous, gave some poor passes away, was not always smart positionally
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Well there you said it, "barely average", which is still an improvement because since he came back from paternity leave, he has been Dog Shit.
I thought he did okay, and that helped us. Also, the less I see of Naby the better
 
I wrote of 4th, but if we beat them next game win the game in hand we would be 3 pts behind 4th place. Is it possible, I mean I know Real Madrid will destroy us
 
mark1975 said:
Bitched out of challenges? What game where you watching? He's an 18yr old playing against a typically physical Everton side and he more than put himself about.

He was ok, nothing special, blah blah. I wonder what planet our fans are on at times. I'd expect it from the fruit loop brigade on here (cf one post above) but not you.

The lad showed guile, quality and controlled the midfield at 18, no one is exaggerating his quality, he has it all despite still clearly developing.
Click to expand...

You really haven’t changed one bit all these years. Always full of vitriol and spite. Have you tried seeing someone about that explosive anger of yours ? You must be a right cheer irl you are.

I have a name. Even on this forum. Not a fruitloop. But i guess it’s still a better consolation than retard, especially for the high and mighty on here.

Btw, I have been raving on about Bajcetic from day 1 and thats still my stance, even more so after last night. I don’t need to explain myself anymore and I’ve made it very clear too in my previous post.
 
Can't believe some posts on here. Average my arse. A couple of random media quotes sums up what I saw :

Another major plus for Klopp and Liverpool was the outstanding display of 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, who showed astonishing maturity in midfield with a comprehensive range of passing, a sure touch and a willingness to engage in the physical exchanges. It was a complete performance by the youngster.
Click to expand...

And topping it all was a brilliant midfield performance from 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, who showed composure, competitiveness and an outstanding range of passing.
Click to expand...
 
Looking at the highlights reel suggests just how low our expectations are of our midfield that we're raving about it.

Don't get me wrong, he looks like an excellent prospect, but that looked like a minimum expectations performance from a Liverpool midfielder.
 
Frogfish said:
Can't believe some posts on here. Average my arse. A couple of random media quotes sums up what I saw :
Click to expand...

I like the look of the kid but - and this is generally speaking - media quotes mean and prove nothing. It's mostly crap to fill column inches.

As mad as this place is at times, I'd sooner listen to peoples opinions here - at least they come from a place of honesty.
 
Plays with a high degree of maturity, very calm in possession no panic to his game.

Not sure if the world class potential is there but for now he's deserving of his place in the team.
 
keniget said:
I like the look of the kid but - and this is generally speaking - media quotes mean and prove nothing. It's mostly crap to fill column inches.

As mad as this place is at times, I'd sooner listen to peoples opinions here - at least they come from a place of honesty.
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Well that depends on who has written it doesn't it. McNulty in one case there.
 
keniget said:
I like the look of the kid but - and this is generally speaking - media quotes mean and prove nothing. It's mostly crap to fill column inches.

As mad as this place is at times, I'd sooner listen to peoples opinions here - at least they come from a place of honesty.
Click to expand...
Honesty? Sure. Being honest with certain biases? Definitely.
But I do agree, the unbalanced extreme views on here (probably including mine) is great daily entertainment.
 
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