Topic: Stefan Bajčetić

[TepidT2O]

So frustrating that he’s been out for so long. Looked like such a prospect, but when players got absent for so long at a young age, you always insider how they will come back.

[farawayred]

So frustrating that he’s been out for so long. Looked like such a prospect, but when players got absent for so long at a young age, you always insider how they will come back.

He's got to grow, Tepid. Frustrating indeed, but no way around it.

[classycarra]

He's got to grow, Tepid. Frustrating indeed, but no way around it.

is it definitely growing. last i remember was when he returned for a game or two and i think they said he had a small calf thing so would be out again for a bit (months ago)

am sure it's been said somewhere but i've missed it all

[jckliew]

I remember Michael Owen had growing problems too, didn't he?
But not our super Stevie. I cannot recall Stevie having growing pains.

[classycarra]

I remember Michael Owen had growing problems too, didn't he?
But not our super Stevie. I cannot recall Stevie having growing pains.

thought it was the other way round?

[Eeyore]

So frustrating that he’s been out for so long. Looked like such a prospect, but when players got absent for so long at a young age, you always insider how they will come back.

This from Van Dijk sums it up.


“At 16, I was a right-back and I wasn’t good enough to play as a centre-back. I never stood out as a player until I got to the U19s and was named captain,” he admitted.

“Sometimes I played as a full-back, other times in the middle. From there, everything got much better. I played for the U23s and everything accelerated.”

One of the reasons Van Dijk was able to transform into the player he is today was a sudden growth spurt, making him much more physically imposing.

However, while that obviously benefits his game now, it wasn’t so easy for him to adapt to his new body to begin with.

He explained: “When I was young I wasn’t so tall until I had a growth spurt. At 16, my little brother was taller than me, but during the summer I turned 17 I grew 18cms!

“I struggled to run normally. My knee was a little unstable. I had problems with my groin. I needed rehabilitation work and was out for six weeks.

“It was like living in another body. After all that, I started to play well.”

[BOBSCOUSE]

I remember Michael Owen had growing problems too, didn't he?
But not our super Stevie. I cannot recall Stevie having growing pains.

Gerrard had issues with posture, I remember him needing to have his wisdom teeth out and that apparently sorted him.  Michael Owen kept having muscular issues as he was "growing" but then just turned into a massive cock.

[tubby]

Lots of players have growing pains but they're rarely out with them for this length of time.

[lionel_messias]

Gerrard had issues with posture, I remember him needing to have his wisdom teeth out and that apparently sorted him.  Michael Owen kept having muscular issues as he was "growing" but then just turned into a massive cock.

We should clarify that MO's massive cock is his entire being not the wife-pleasing entity in his pants.

[mullyred94]

Lots of players have growing pains but they're rarely out with them for this length of time.

Hasn’t he got a calf injury right now?

[tubby]

Hasn’t he got a calf injury right now?

That's my point, some players are just injury prone.  Having a growth spurt doesn't necessarily mean you'll be injured with it.

[spider-neil]

Hasn’t he got a calf injury right now?

Isn’t still the adductor injury keeping him out of the team.

[TepidT2O]

This from Van Dijk sums it up.


“At 16, I was a right-back and I wasn’t good enough to play as a centre-back. I never stood out as a player until I got to the U19s and was named captain,” he admitted.

“Sometimes I played as a full-back, other times in the middle. From there, everything got much better. I played for the U23s and everything accelerated.”

One of the reasons Van Dijk was able to transform into the player he is today was a sudden growth spurt, making him much more physically imposing.

However, while that obviously benefits his game now, it wasn’t so easy for him to adapt to his new body to begin with.

He explained: “When I was young I wasn’t so tall until I had a growth spurt. At 16, my little brother was taller than me, but during the summer I turned 17 I grew 18cms!

“I struggled to run normally. My knee was a little unstable. I had problems with my groin. I needed rehabilitation work and was out for six weeks.

“It was like living in another body. After all that, I started to play well.”

Yeah, good point that… plus he nearly died too.

[BOBSCOUSE]

Hasn’t he got a calf injury right now?

No, he's still just a massive cock.  Can we just get back to talking about Stefan now?

[newterp]

Isn’t still the adductor injury keeping him out of the team.

No. He recovered from that and played in two games. Then had a calf injury 3 months ago + this current growing pains situation (which may be causing other issues).


We aren't being given any information as to what precisely is going on - but it looks like he will miss at least another month given that he hasn't even begun team training.

[Coolie High]

That's my point, some players are just injury prone.  Having a growth spurt doesn't necessarily mean you'll be injured with it.

You’re right because it seems to happen more frequently with our players then it does others in the league.

[SamLad]

You’re right because it seems to happen more frequently with our players then it does others in the league.

deffo seems that way - but is that accurate, though?  (I have no idea)

or is it that we are all aware of our situation, but don't notice when other teams' youngsters drop out of sight for months due to injuries?

[classycarra]

You’re right because it seems to happen more frequently with our players then it does others in the league.

We've had lots of extended injuries in the youth players, but think it's only really been with Kaide Gordon, who had a pelvic growth issue keep him out 18 months, that it was 'growth-related'

Bajcetic we're obviously being patient with while they cautiously rehabilitate a serious stress injury, but that issue seems to be more primarily related to us overplaying him as a youngster (to bail us out of the terrible midfield issues) rather than purely growth related like Gordon's

[Coolie High]

We've had lots of extended injuries in the youth players, but think it's only really been with Kaide Gordon, who had a pelvic growth issue keep him out 18 months, that it was 'growth-related'

Bajcetic we're obviously being patient with while they cautiously rehabilitate a serious stress injury, but that issue seems to be more primarily related to us overplaying him as a youngster (to bail us out of the terrible midfield issues) rather than purely growth related like Gordon's

I
Did we overplay him? He played like 19 games as an 18 year old doesn’t seem too unusual, in comparison to other big talents his age. Wouldn’t say it was a Pedri or Gavi situation where these players have played nearly 100 games by the time they turn 19.

[YNWA.A]

I
Did we overplay him? He played like 19 games as an 18 year old doesn’t seem too unusual, in comparison to other big talents his age. Wouldn’t say it was a Pedri or Gavi situation where these players have played nearly 100 games by the time they turn 19.

I agree. When Trent replaced Clyne, he ended up that season with 33 apperances, and since then hes played an average od 45 games. Hes never had major injuries, certainly didnt have anything major during his first two/three seasons. Sometimes its just down to luck and body of the player.

Gerrard had issues too

[classycarra]

I
Did we overplay him? He played like 19 games as an 18 year old doesn’t seem too unusual, in comparison to other big talents his age. Wouldn’t say it was a Pedri or Gavi situation where these players have played nearly 100 games by the time they turn 19.

yep i'm not talking about overplaying in the kind of michael owen/pedri/sterling 'you'll notice it when they're 28' kind of way. he'd never reached a point where he looked like he had 90 minutes at highest level of footbll against grown adults in him (something klopp said was the case this november too, post-injury)

he played many games where he was visibly (but figuratively) out of gas/spent - guess it's called playing in the red - with limited recovery time in between them. like when we played fabinho constantly during our CB crisis (covering CB or CM, but always playing), it felt inevitable he'd get injured (obviously didn't expect such a serious injury though)

[The G in Gerrard]

Any indication on when he returns or is this season a write off for the lad?

[classycarra]

Any indication on when he returns or is this season a write off for the lad?

this was the most recent klopp quote i could find (from start of November):

“They are still growing these boys and they are all different; we have other players with a different, what is it, skeleton, a different body where OK that’s fine and for other players it is a bit too early. We just have to put the break on again and just wait until that’s all fine. Then Liverpool FC has a wonderful player to use, but there is absolutely no time that we can put on that and we will not. We just have to wait.

“He is here, he is training, he is doing his stuff, we are building his [fitness]. We know how he good he is and now we have to make sure we help him to get a body to show that, and not only once but then three times a week.

“We will get there [and that will be] very good news for the club, [but] in the moment we cannot use him and that’s all.”

[Fromola]

So frustrating that he’s been out for so long. Looked like such a prospect, but when players got absent for so long at a young age, you always insider how they will come back.

It's always our best young players. Doak now out for ages (a more specific injury). Gordon out for pretty much 2 years. Ramsay barely been fit since we signed him 18 months ago. Bradley injured pre-season and only just back recently.

[The G in Gerrard]

this was the most recent klopp quote i could find (from start of November):

“They are still growing these boys and they are all different; we have other players with a different, what is it, skeleton, a different body where OK that’s fine and for other players it is a bit too early. We just have to put the break on again and just wait until that’s all fine. Then Liverpool FC has a wonderful player to use, but there is absolutely no time that we can put on that and we will not. We just have to wait.

“He is here, he is training, he is doing his stuff, we are building his [fitness]. We know how he good he is and now we have to make sure we help him to get a body to show that, and not only once but then three times a week.

“We will get there [and that will be] very good news for the club, [but] in the moment we cannot use him and that’s all.”

Cheers. They are right rushing him back won't help him or us. Was looking forward to seeing him improve this season (hopefully he still can).

[classycarra]

Cheers. They are right rushing him back won't help him or us. Was looking forward to seeing him improve this season (hopefully he still can).

yep, would be amazing - trying hard not to get excited at the prospect (likewise Thiago) - but feels very much like any playing time 'would be a bonus' (purely my on perspective - obviously the people who hold the medical information will have actual progress checkpoints/aims)

[Eeyore]

Lots of players have growing pains but they're rarely out with them for this length of time.

You could well be right and he is injury prone.

However, the problem with growth spurts is the muscles quite simply can't cope with the increase in body frame. Then as the body tries to adjust you get lots of compensatory issues and worst of all it is really difficult to concentrate on building core strength without causing further issues.

It is often one step forward and two steps back. Centre back is probably the toughest position on the pitch for a growing players body.

[The G in Gerrard]

yep, would be amazing - trying hard not to get excited at the prospect (likewise Thiago) - but feels very much like any playing time 'would be a bonus' (purely my on perspective - obviously the people who hold the medical information will have actual progress checkpoints/aims)

Yeah. He was looking awesome when required in the main last season.

[Keith Lard]

Just skim reading this thread. Just to confirm, did Michael Owen have a massive cock growth spurt in his teens?

[afc tukrish]

Just skim reading this thread. Just to confirm, did Michael Owen have a massive cock growth spurt in his teens?

Spanked it so often he kept getting injured...

[jepovic]

I agree. When Trent replaced Clyne, he ended up that season with 33 apperances, and since then hes played an average od 45 games. Hes never had major injuries, certainly didnt have anything major during his first two/three seasons. Sometimes its just down to luck and body of the player.

Gerrard had issues too

Trent also has a playing style that seems a lot more gentle to the body.
Gerrard was absolutely ruthless to anyone including himself on the pitch, and I guess in training as well.

[classycarra]

Trent also has a playing style that seems a lot more gentle to the body.
Gerrard was absolutely ruthless to anyone including himself on the pitch, and I guess in training as well.

also Trent's debut was almost a good year before the start of the 17-18 season where we kicked off with Trent starting. so he had lots more time plus a full season to adapt to the physical demands of adult football

Spanked it so often he kept getting injured...

Brave

[newterp]

Spanked it so often he kept getting injured...

I can't see what you wrote, but usually they go blind.

[TepidT2O]

From today

Bajcetic is a "growing issue". He could "train today but then not for 4 or 5 weeks."

[tubby]

Does that mean his injuries are a growing concern or that they're caused by growing?

[keyop]

The body is a wonderful but complicated thing. Some players are elite at 19, others at 28. Some are 6ft 4 in their teens, others much later. Some are built like a tank from a young age, others take a while to develop and build full strenth. 19 is a very delicate age for any player, and for each one that makes it to a consistent elite level, there'll be many times more that fade away that we never hear about.

It's frustrating, but all the noises coming from the club are that he's being managed carefully during a series of setbacks, as he develops and grows. Far better that he takes the time needed rather than rush him back and his body breaks down again. In the meantime, we have Mac and Endo (plus Jones or Trent), so plenty of options for players for that role - allowing the club to bring Stefan back when he's ready. Progress is rarely linear in sport, and I think when the time comes, he will emerge back on the scene and start bossing midfields.

I'm hoping his first game back goes something like this:


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/nSH12eyj8po" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/nSH12eyj8po</a>

[Draex]

Does that mean his injuries are a growing concern or that they're caused by growing?

Caused by growing, sounds like he’s had a growth spurt and his body is adapting to that and if he trains at the intensity we do it will cause injuries.

[SamLad]

Caused by growing, sounds like he’s had a growth spurt and his body is adapting to that and if he trains at the intensity we do it will cause injuries.

yep. seems like he needs to be brought back up to normal training routines very very cautiously eg....
- train, wait 3 days to see if he's Ok
- if Ok, train then wait 2 days to see if he's Ok.
- if not, back to 3 days break
etc

[newterp]

I have a suspicion that he may not play this season again (at least at the first team level). 

We seem to have enough midfield bodies (for now) and his reactions to intense training seem to be a mixed bag.

The plan may be to get him back into the youth mix in 2024 and then a full and proper pre season in the summer.

[KurtVerbose]

Some are 6ft 4 in their teens, others much later.

So, at 57 is there still hope for me (currently 5ft 6)?