After selecting the ‘best’ player, Mohamed Salah already understands the overlooked Liverpool midfield repair.
Liverpool has an underutilized solution to its present defensive midfield problem, and Reds striker Mohamed Salah has already informed the club of it.
After a difficult afternoon in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Brighton, Alexis Mac Allister’s eligibility for the number six role has been brought into question.
On an uncomfortable return to the Amex, Mac Allister was partly guilty for the Seagulls’ opening goal and also gave away a couple of dangerous free-kicks.
Worryingly, it wasn’t the first time his flaws in this new capacity had been highlighted.
Many supporters have urged Jürgen Klopp to turn to $21 million (£16 million/€19 million) summer signing Wataru End, who has barely featured in the Premier League (starting only one game against Newcastle United in August) but could improve the balance of the side and raise the collective ceiling despite his own individual limitations.
He’d be a specialized six at the base of midfield, allowing Mac Allister to move into a more natural number eight role.
However, this discussion overlooks another viable answer in Stefan Bajeti, who has been mostly overlooked due to his fitness difficulties this season.
Bajeti’s 2022/23 season was cut short in March due to an adductor injury, and after missing the club’s pre-season friendly schedule, he returned to competitive action by starting (as a right-back) against LASK in September.
He would later make a brief but impressive substitute cameo in the Carabao Cup against Leicester City, only to suffer a terribly frustrating setback in the form of a calf problem.
“It’s as annoying for me as it is for Stefan Bajeti, who was there, played a few minutes and then felt something else,” Klopp stated ahead of the trip to Brighton (via liverpoolfc.com).
“That’s how it is from time to time after long-term injuries.”
Klopp was non-committal on a potential return timeline for the Spaniard, but said he was hopeful that the teenager could rejoin the fold after the international break.
Liverpool will predominantly regard Bajčetić as a long-term asset, but based on his performance levels last season, he could offer a short-term fix too.
One of the outstanding breakthrough talents in the Premier League, Bajčetić won Liverpool’s player of the month award for January and earned a nomination for Tuttosport’s prestigious Golden Boy award as one of the 100 best under-21 players in Europe.
The best accolade of all, though, came from Mohamed Salah, who declared after a player-of-the-match performance from Bajčetić in a 2-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton in February that he’d been the team’s ‘best player’ since earning his place in the side (via Evening Standard).
End and Bajeti will compete for position in the pecking order when both players are fit, and while the former is more experienced, the latter definitely has a bigger upside.
If there isn’t much else separating the two, Liverpool may use the player who is far more likely to be a long-term starter.
He has previously impressed for the Reds in the Premier League and could be the answer to the current midfield dilemma.
For the time being, Liverpool will have to play the waiting game and hope that Bajeti can make a full recovery in the next month or so.
In the meantime, fans should remember that the club has a top talent on its roster.
Leave a Reply