So then. Liverpool have started the 2024/25 campaign with all the vim and vigour that Jurgen Klopp will have hoped that his side could muster, with this immensely talented squad, sculpted over nearly nine years, inherited by the perfect new gaffer in Arne Slot.
The Reds, as you’ll need no reminder, are perched atop the Premier League table, tall and proud and regal as a Liverbird. Early days, early days. We all know that the road ahead is circuitous and fraught with obstacles, but there are signs that Liverpool are a better version than they were last year.
First sign: Liverpool’s sometimes-porous defence from last season is a thing of the past; Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are proving themselves as the division’s best, with two goals shipped from seven fixtures.
Second sign: Liverpool’s new style, more controlled and patient in their attacking approach, has stepped away from the thrash-metal football that Klopp patented over his years of illustrious service. Liverpool are anew, with trademark qualities borne from the previous era but welcomed by a new system that is more… fresh, with the outfit’s opponents needing new ways to defeat the Anfield side.
Third sign: Rodri is injured, out for the season, or thereabouts. It’s unbecoming to revel over the injury of one of the world’s finest, and Rodri is “the best midfielder in the world by far”, as claimed by his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and echoed by many. That said, he’s the champions’ lifeblood, and his absence could hand Liverpool a route toward that glinted trophy.
With Rodri out, there’s space for a new centre-midfielder to stake their claim as the Premier League’s best, and Ryan Gravenberch is doing exactly that.
Ryan Gravenberch's performances under Arne Slot
Gravenberch’s rise and rise could be a fourth sign that Liverpool are genuine contenders for the biggest prizes, to be honest.
The Netherlands international, only 22, joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in a deal worth £34m last summer in what proved to be Klopp’s final senior signing before stepping down.
He only started 12 Premier League matches last season and ebbed and flowed but has bloomed into an incredible player under Slot’s tutelage, sat deeper in a pivoting, all-influencing central role.
Matches (starts)
26 (12)
7 (7)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
0
Touches*
28.8
81.4
Shots (on target)*
0.9 (0.3)
0.4 (0.3)
Pass completion
83%
89%
Key passes*
0.6
0.6
Dribbles completed*
1.0
1.0
Ball recoveries*
2.8
6.0
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
3.8
Total duels (won)*
2.8 (47%)
5.9 (64%)
It’s been something to behold, and it’s reflected through his stats across nearly every metric from the top flight this term, far outperforming his former self in a refashioned role.
There’s a long road ahead, sure, but Gravenberch has the skill to pilot Liverpool toward success, and the gas tank too, with the Dutchman playing every single minute across his side’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns so far.
He’s a big talent, but perhaps not Liverpool’s biggest. Indeed, the club’s finest young talent might just be one who isn’t actually plying their trade on Merseyside right now.
Liverpool have a bigger talent than Ryan Gravenberch
Stefan Bajcetic has faded into obscurity over the past year, having suffered from injuries and growth-related setbacks that limited him to just three appearances across the duration of the previous season.
The young Spaniard spent the summer months regaining full fitness, but after Slot replaced Klopp, it was quickly felt that the 19-year-old Spaniard’s game time would be limited, and thus a loan move away would be beneficial.
Pep Lijnders, Klopp’s long-time assistant, had been appointed Red Bull Salzburg boss after leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, and so it seemed apt that Bajcetic would move to grow into his skin within the system of the man who had a big say in Liverpool’s tactics across their golden era.
Though Salzburg, imperious Austrian champions, have struggled to perform across the opening months of the campaign, Bajcetic has impressed at the heart of Lijnders’ team, hailed for his “special” ability by journalist Zubin Daver.
As per Sofascore, he’s averaged five tackles and interceptions per game in the Austrian Bundesliga, also completing one dribble per match and winning 58% of his duels, of which he is averaging 5.8 per outing. There’s a level of aggression and commitment in his approach that makes a comment on where he’s going to end up for the Reds.
No doubt, Slot has already taken note. Given that he’s showcasing the kind of progressive and potent midfield game that has seen Gravenberch thrive, there’s every chance that he could actually grow into Liverpool’s star midfielder down the line – especially since he’s already proved himself as merely an 18-year-old, injecting some youthful exuberance into Klopp’s sapped side in 2022/23.
Boyish avidity blended with age-belying maturity, Bajcetic has what it takes to become a star player for a top European outfit such as Liverpool, scoring and featuring 11 times in the Premier League that year and being praised for his “special” qualities in the centre of the park.
Writer Leanne Prescott even said: “Staggering that Liverpool look most in control this season when 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic is playing.”
Taking all this into account, Bajcetic might just prove to be the perfect competition for Gravenberch in the seasons to come. He’s more aggressive in his defending and is proving himself to be a crucial part of a Salzburg side that is flattering to deceive under Lijnders.
Even so, Bajcetic is keeping them together – just like he did for Liverpool during those dark days. Having battled through so much adversity at such a young age, there’s just cause for optimism – this guy might turn out to be a world-beater in Slot’s squad.
Lost the ball 22x: Liverpool star drops suspect 4/10 international display
It wasn’t the best of nights away from Anfield…
ByAngus Sinclair Oct 11, 2024
