Stefan Bajcetic, Forgotten Man

ARTICLE BY MATTY

The midfield is a position I’ve kept my eye on this summer. Despite being very few links to new midfielders, and also despite having more than enough strength and numbers at the position on paper, I must admit it’s still a slightly worrying position for me. We’ve already seen how crucial Ryan Gravenberch is to this team’s success. His sense of positioning and his dribbling ability is key to building up in possession and also key to our defense staying compact and sound from a numbers perspective, which is more important than ever now that our fullbacks are bombing up and down the pitch harder than the Battle of Dunkirk. The issue I see is that there isn’t really a solidified backup for him, someone who can come in and do the same job.

Mac Allister is a superstar, but he’s more of a complement to Gravenberch than a direct replacement. Jones is a more progressive player whose strength is controlling possession and controlling the ball. He’s become the new Wijnaldum in that way, we’re just a better team when he comes off the bench against tired legs and dictates things, makes plays happen. Szoboszlai is the new Milner in the squad, filling in effortlessly just about everywhere and showing immense quality. But we’ve seen him be too attack-minded in Gravy’s role, and I wouldn’t want to take that out of his game. Endo’s a solid destroyer and a great late-game substitute, but his game starkly contrasts to Gravenberch. Lots of numbers at the position, and tons of quality, yet no truly suitable cover for the guy who makes everything tick over. This is why the news of Stefan Bajcetic staying in the first team this season was so intriguing to me.

The Baj Man has seen tons of injuries halt his development, although I must stress that this is a natural occurrence for most young players as their bodies develop and mature over time. This is why I’m keeping a very close eye on how Slot uses Rio. Rio’s an immense talent but he’s 17, at an age where his body will develop further and injuries could stall him if we’re not careful in how we play him. But I digress. Bajcetic at his peak for us, an admittedly short peak three years ago, was a similar player to Gravenberch. Perhaps a bit more destroyer in his game, surely, but his standout trait was his dribbling, his ability to progress the ball from back to front and start attacks while being ferocious in the tackle and ending them on the defensive end of the field. Providing cover for the back line while igniting attacks, which is exactly what Gravenberch does so well. He’s not quite as tall as Gravenberch, but he’s got decent size for the position as well, which is important to note when playing in the biggest, most physical league in the world.

Bajcetic’s loan spells last season were a bit like his career: doing decently well when given opportunities, but opportunities themselves were inconsistent due to injuries and team upheaval. RB Salzburg was a mess due to Pep Lijnders flaming out as manager, coupled with the replacement focusing heavily on veteran players to provide stability during a tough period. In half a season, Bajcetic’s development went from a focus to an afterthought, and his game time and performances both suffered because of it. Realizing this, Liverpool rerouted him to Las Palmas for the second half of the season, where the performances were much better and his defensive game improved as he was a key man in the La Liga side’s battle against relegation. Of course, off of a loan where he showed promise, Bajcetic immediately underwent surgery for a hamstring injury at the start of the summer. Much like his career, progress halted by injury and inconsistent opportunity.

Perhaps due to suitors being scared off by the injury history, Bajcetic wasn’t sold but rather will stick with the first team this season. After a tumultuous loan spell in Austria and a decent time in Spain, it doesn’t surprise me that the club believes a season back in a normal environment could help the player. I also think the opportunity is there for him to stake a claim as a genuine first team option, if the injuries don’t continue to halt his progress.

Typically a young player won’t have as many injuries once he turns 22, as the body will have matured enough by that stage to be able to fully handle the rigors of a long season that only gets longer and more exhausting on players and fans alike. Bajcetic is 20 now, so he’s not quite out of the woods yet, but perhaps he can finally find a bit of fitness, take an opportunity when it comes up in a cup game perhaps, and make a name as the backup to Gravenberch, fulfilling one of only two needs that the squad still has in my eyes. The best part is the club doesn’t really need Bajcetic to succeed, so there isn’t much pressure on the lad at all. If he doesn’t get over the injuries or doesn’t take an opportunity, we could likely splurge on either Carlos Baleba or Adam Wharton and send Bajcetic somewhere like Southampton. If Bajcetic does succeed this season, the need to sign another midfielder isn’t nearly as much of a concern. Ultimately, it’s up to him regarding how much progress he can make now.