In difficult teams, there are always large prospects. It is one of the immutable truths in football. Liverpool this season also have a young player to look forward to the future. It is midfielder Stefan Baseticci, born in 2004.
Liverpool won 2-0 against Everton in the 23rd round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at Anfield in Liverpool, England at 5 am (Korean time) on the 14th. Liverpool overtook Chelsea and rose to 9th in the league (32 points).
Liverpool have been sluggish this season. The team that challenged the ‘quadruple’ last season is not even qualified to advance to the European competition in the league. In the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL), they advanced to the round of 16 and took pride, but suffered the humiliation of being eliminated from all domestic cup competitions.
The biggest problem was the midfield. Liverpool struggled from the start, with Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson all out of action due to injuries and other reasons. To make matters worse, even Fabinho’s performance deteriorated, and Artur Melu, who was urgently recruited on loan, did not help the team, and instead, he himself joined the ward, creating an unfortunate situation. 슬롯사이트
The team was shaken when the spine was not straight. This is the reason why coach Jurgen Klopp’s football, where the activity and mobility of the midfielders are the key, did not function properly this season. The overall difficulty of the midfield led to a decrease in offensive power and insecurity in defense, causing Liverpool to fall. Even so, coach Klopp did not reinforce the midfield and was at the center of criticism.
A hero has appeared in the turbulent times. It is Basetic, who has grown in youth since 2020. He appeared on the pitch occasionally in the first half, but from the second half onwards, he became Liverpool’s main player. He mainly played as a defensive midfielder and filled the vacancy of Fabinho, who had lost his skills, and gave the team a ray of hope.
Even in the first win in 2023, there was a contribution from Basetic. On this day, Bassetich, who came out as a substitute for Thiago, not as a defensive midfielder, played the role of lubricant for the team by actively participating in defense and supplying flashing passes throughout the game. Basetic’s active side defense and possession of the ball contributed to the team’s key goal.
Even in the record, Basetic’s suhun is revealed. He was excellent defensively, with 6 successful duels, 100% (2/2) aerial duels success rate, 1 clearing, 2 interceptions, and 2 tackles, as well as 2 key passes and 3 long ball successes, filling Tiago’s void. With a certain level of filling, it was expected to grow into a player who digests all areas of the midfield.
Liverpool have brought themselves into crisis this season by neglecting their midfield signings. Fortunately, a hero appeared. Liverpool’s ’18-year-old prince’ Bassetich has the qualities to become a key player in Liverpool beyond this season and in the future.