The only positive against Fulham on Saturday was keeping a clean sheet and new signing Jeremy Jacquet saved Alisson Becker after the Reds number one keeper had a rare moment of bad decision making. In Ali’s defense three Fulham players were blocking off the 18 yard box and the only Liverpool player making any movement was Ryan Gravenberch but he was being man marked. The safest thing to have done was a big kick upfield yet Ali took a touch too many and tried a pass that, if Gravenberch wasn’t being marked, made sense considering what was available to Alisson.
The panicky next few seconds led to Fulham getting a shot on target and into an empty net if it wasn’t for Jeremy having the awareness to be already on the goal line and make sure there was one last obstacle between Fulham and taking the lead. Considering how poorly the Reds played, this writer isn’t convinced it was a lead that Liverpool could have overcome and would have seen them lose at Anfield to the joint bottom club in the Premier League.
After the wins against Ipswich and Atletico the focus of most Liverpool supporters was the performance of Ronald ‘Big Ron’ Araujo as the right back (and rightly so) but it was also the encouraging fact that the Reds had scored twice in all four games leading up to the game against Fulham. Yesterday we witnessed a rather blunted attack and it was the defense that provided the key moment to achieve the single point.
While watching a post game analysis it was interesting to hear one pundit allude to how Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was often passing to Jeremy and letting him make the forward play out from the back. It was viewed as a show of trust and respect towards our new center back signing and the stats back up what all our eyes have seen with 292 passes in the four league games at 91% completion (stats from Premier League site). The fact Virgil already feels that belief in 21 year-old Jeremy should be taken to heart as a very positive factor for the Reds this season and possibly more importantly for the future as our captain is in the final year of his two year extension.
With Jeremy’s age, short pre-season with a new club and the renowned physicality of the Premier League it’s fair to say his performances so far have been stellar. This writer does feel that perhaps one of the easiest positions for translating to other countries and their style of play is center back but that doesn’t take away from Jeremy’s standout performances and the Kop singing his name in appreciation for his commitment on the pitch.
Having seen head coach Andoni Iraola turning to Araujo for the right back position in the last three games it has meant that Jeremy has had to push through any exhaustion or cramping having only just found the fitness to complete 90 plus minutes. Hopefully Iraola will have Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni back soon for added depth in the center of the Red’s backline but until then the responsibility falls on Jeremy’s shoulders to keep up his level of performances partnering Virgil at the heart of Liverpool’s defense. That responsibility is coming up quick with Liverpool facing Spurs this Tuesday at Anfield in the League Cup and then the following Sunday when the Reds travel to Iraola’s former club Bournemouth before the first international football break.