Summary Liverpool's Stefan Bajcetic, who made his senior debut last year, could add an invaluable dimension to the team once he returns from injury. Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool's signing from Bayern Munich, has shown great promise but needs to do more to establish himself as a regular starter. Bajcetic's technical proficiency and composure in tight situations suggest he has the potential to surpass Gravenberch and become one of the Premier League's top midfielders.
It was all rather bleak this time one year ago. Liverpool had fallen by the wayside and were struggling to muster any vestige of cohesion and identity. A shadow of the 2021/22 campaign's unprecedented quadruple chasers.
Jurgen Klopp's side's engine had malfunctioned, true, but the German triumphed in putting it back together, with last summer's sweeping changes to the midfield proving to restore Anfield's calibre as Premier League title challengers.
Sunday's bitter defeat at the hand of Arsenal has handed the hosts a massive lifeline in their own pursuit of silverware in England's top-flight, but Liverpool remain first-placed and have been so impressive this season.
There was an ostensible sense of fatigue that had seeped into the squad and the action has been relentless so this is understandable to a degree.
Last year, it was teenager Stefan Bajcetic who produced the youthful exuberance to aid Liverpool in their struggles, and while he has been injured for most of the current campaign, and with Klopp estimating that he could return to training in February, the talented gem might be able to add an invaluable dimension once again.
Stefan Bajcetic's 2022/23 season in numbers
Liverpool signed Bajcetic for just £224k back in December 2020 when he was just 16 years old, but it wasn't until the early stage of the 2022/23 term that Bajcetic, now aged 19, made his senior debut, coming off the bench during Liverpool's 9-0 dismantling of Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Earning a string of opportunities around the new year when Liverpool were at their nadir, Bajcetic concluded the campaign with 11 appearances in the top flight, having completed 79% of his passes, succeeded with 64% of his dribbles and won 3.1 duels per game.
The teenage talent is hopefully nearing a return to training in some regard and when fully fit he might just find himself slotting back into the senior set-up seamlessly.
Of course, with Thiago Alcantara returning from a long-term injury against Arsenal and Wataru Endo due back on Merseyside after Japan's exit from the Asia Cup, there's competition for starting spots.
If Bajcetic were to hit the ground running, Ryan Gravenberch would likely be one of the aces unsettled by the potential of slipping down the pecking order.
Liverpool's signing of Ryan Gravenberch
Deals for Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were sealed way before the closing stretch of the summer transfer window and Endo's surprise £16m signing in August eased the pain of missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea (hindsight, ay).
Given the numerous outgoings, supporters were keen to see a final move made and wishes were answered on deadline day when Liverpool announced the £34m acquisition of Netherlands international Gravenberch,
The 21-year-old joined from Bayern Munich with bundles of ability and promise but a stained memory of his time in Germany, starting just three Bundesliga matches during the 2022/23 term, unfavoured by both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.
Having received great opportunities on English shores, the £150k-per-week midfielder has posted three goals and two assists from 28 fixtures in all competitions and has left reporter Neil Jones claiming that he has "got the lot" for his dynamic and progressive performances.
However, it's fair to say that more is needed to truly establish himself as a regular starter under the Anfield lights for years to come, and Bajcetic's exploits during the fledgeling phase of his career hint at a standout role.
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ByAngus Sinclair Feb 4, 2024 Why Bajcetic could surpass Gravenberch
Bajcetic has been described as "special" by journalist Zubin Daver and after such brilliant efforts amid a sapped crop of seniors, Liverpool tacitly confirmed that they have a star in the making in their grasp.
Given Bajcetic's blend of technical proficiency, tenacity and composure in tight situations, he might just have the skill set to surpass Gravenberch and bloom into one of the Premier League's highest-quality centre-midfielders.
Of course, Klopp will leave at the end of the season but with Xabi Alonso considered among the favourites to succeed the 56-year-old, the Spaniard could be the perfect coach for his compatriot, who is blessed with similarly versatile traits, adept at dictating play and leading defensive efforts from the middle.
Gravenberch, though, is endowed with natural talent in abundance and does have the ability to make the Anfield centre his own.
As per FBref, Gravenberch ranks among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes, progressive carries and blocks and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.
1.
Joelinton
Newcastle United
2.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
3.
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
4.
Khephren Thuram
OGC Nice
5.
Nicolo Barella
Inter Milan
Gravenberch is still young and his myriad of qualities show that he has the trappings of a multi-functional midfielder of world class, but recent displays have highlighted a lack of application that will ostracise him from a prominent standing under Klopp's wing for the remainder of the term.
Against Arsenal, the Dutchman was a passenger and received a 3/10 match rating courtesy of the Liverpool Echo after an ineffectual and damaging effort, taking just 24 touches and failing to make a single tackle before being hooked before the hour mark.
Brighter days lay ahead, there's no doubt about that, but there are tentative concerns that Gravenberch's lack of defensive awareness and engagement denotes a wider, more serious underlying issue.
With Bajcetic's return to the first-team fold only a matter of time, the one-time Ajax prodigy will need to start proving that he can combine the facets of the midfield game together.
Bajcetic certainly can, and if the Spaniard picks up from where he left off before his injury almost one year ago, then it's certainly going to have Gravenberch strung up as he considers his chances of a regular starting berth.