Liverpool looked to be cruising to an easy victory when Stefan Bajcetic came on as part of a triple substitution with half an hour to play at 4-0 against Tottenham at Anfield. But just a quarter of an hour later it was 4-2, and things got a bit nervous before the victory was lost.
For the 19-year-old midfielder, it was the first minutes on the field for the senior team since September, and manager Jürgen Klopp could see that it was an ever-so-small tempo shock for the Spaniard.
– Would I make exactly the same changes if I had the opportunity again? I’m not sure about that. But Macca has played so much and runs up and down all the time, and then Stefan has looked very good in training. But today you saw when he came in that it was a bit like arriving on the motorway with a bicycle, said Klopp after the match.
Bajcetic has barely played senior football in the past year, having impressed when he came into the team midway through last season. Now he obviously needs some time to get back into the rhythm.
– It takes time to adapt to the pace, and we also became disorganized after we conceded the first goal. They are a good team, they also showed that last year in what was a similar match, Klopp said of Tottenham.
Good to be back
Bajcetic himself says it was wonderful to play Premier League football again. He has been given a few minutes for the U21 team in recent weeks to find match form again, but at senior level it is different.
– It was important to start with the U21 team to find the rhythm again, because things go so fast in the Premier League. The club handled it well and now I’m ready to play again, says the Spaniard to liverpoolfc.com.
– We found our way back to winning ways, and it’s always nice to come back after being out for so long. It’s been a long time and I need some time to get better and find my rhythm. Hopefully I will get more playing time, he says.
With the exception of a small comeback in September, it has been 14 months without football for the great talent. It was an injury to the calf that led to him having to go on the treatment table again earlier in the season.
– It was important to take time to rehabilitate properly, and to get stronger in the whole body so that it doesn’t break up again. Now it is hopefully perfectly fine, he says.
Bajcetic has played 22 games for Liverpool since his transfer from Celta Vigo just over three years ago.
