Jeremy Jacquet
Jeremy Jacquet
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Jeremy Jacquet has been steadily building his portfolio of impressive performances since playing his first game for Liverpool in a pre-season friendly against Como in August, but one of the most impressive might have just come off the pitch after a career milestone on Monday (Sep 28) - the occasion of his first senior international cap for France.
In recent weeks, Jacquet has helped steady the ship at the back for Liverpool, managing three clean sheets in three successive games, earned lavish praise from distinguished compatriots such as Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, who praised him again after Friday's display against Italy.
Having arrived from Rennes in the summer with less than 60 senior appearances to his name, it is now no exaggeration to say that he looks to be on a path towards becoming one of the best in the world in his position.
When asked to reflect on such landmarks as his first cap, you might expect a player in his position to show maybe a flash of self-satisfaction, or at least want to pause to take it all in.
READ MORE: Thierry Henry sends Bradley Barcola Liverpool warning and makes surprise claim about Jeremy Jacquet
Not Jacquet. "It's true that as a defender, a clean sheet is the best thing you can do," the 21-year-old told reporters after the 1-0 win over Belgium. "Especially with the win at the end, I can only be happy.
"But to say I'm satisfied, no. I think back to two or three attacking balls when I could have done much better with my passing. In particular, I can find the back line more quickly when winning the ball back.
"Despite two or three turnovers, I'm generally happy. We're leaving with the three points and the clean sheet."
How many players would respond that way after a win and clean sheet on debut for their national team? Here, the dedicated and professional attitude that has driven the Frenchman's startling trajectory over the last year was on full display.
To be clear, this was no decent debut. Jacquet's performance was nerveless. He oozed class in a game that wasn't found wanting for quality and, with Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba both currently out injured, the onlooking French media were delighted with what they saw from the new kid on the block, just as they were again against Italy.
Jacquet went on to say: "I'm not going to get into whether I'll become a starter. I'm taking my time and keeping my feet on the ground. I'm asked to play, I'm given instructions and I try to follow them - I've got my head screwed on."
For a 21-year-old to be showing a level of maturity than would normally only be expected of a player several years his senior is no doubt an indicator of why Zidane has seen fit to immediately reward his early-season form at Liverpool.
Humble and unflappable, but dominant, too. These are the qualities that have made Jacquet an instant success at Anfield - and a big part of why Liverpool fans might finally be starting to let themselves relax.
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Exceeding expectations
It wasn't that this writer ever doubted Jacquet's ability, but the truth is that it felt like a stretch to consider him a full-blown senior player prior to the start of the season, especially after his pre-season minutes totalled just 45 minutes (though they were very impressive minutes) against Como.
Jacquet was, after all, playing in the French second division as recently as January last year. Ligue 2 is ranked 40th in the world by Opta, two places behind the Scottish Premiership and two places ahead of England's League One.
Prior to joining Liverpool, Jacquet had racked up just 57 appearances in senior football, with his only full season in Ligue 1 - a top league, but one increasingly far-removed from the level of the Premier League - disrupted by a shoulder injury that ended it days after he agreed his move to Liverpool.
I had thought Liverpool might sign a more proven option to cover centre-back and right-back, and that proved correct when Ronald Araujo arrived on an initial loan from Barcelona.
Although Jacquet profiled similarly to Konate and appeared to have been a pre-emptive replacement, most would have anticipated an adaptation period to the Premier League, and a need for patience or possibly even a gradual integration as we saw with Andy Robertson under Jurgen Klopp.
But while I expected Araujo to start the season alongside Virgil van Dijk, Jacquet instead seized his opportunity and hasn't looked back since. Astonishingly, the numbers that already made him elite in certain respects in Ligue 1 have only improved since crossing the channel.
Jacquet won 75.5% of his aerial duels in the French top flight last season. This season, that has risen to 76.9%. Overall, he won 67.2% of his duels in his final season at Rennes - at Liverpool, that figure so far is now 76.3%.
He was already blessed with a sizeable frame, but Jacquet clearly used his time on the sidelines in his final few months at Rennes to work on developing the muscle mass required to mix it with the hardest players in the Premier League, filling out from a slightly more rangy build into the player he is today.
That has paid dividends, with seemingly no physical adaptation necessary from day one against Newcastle, and it has allowed him to seamlessly slot into Konate's old position without any need for van Dijk to wear kid gloves.
And while the faster pace of the league has seen him caught in possession on occasion so far (0.22 times per 90, compared to just 0.05 last season), Jacquet has arguably impressed the most on the ball rather than off it.
When he does make a mistake, Jacquet typically recovers quickly and gets on with the game, refusing to let setbacks distract him from the next challenge, and never shies away from the ball.
Scout Lab progression graphic: Jacquet's progressive use of the ball at Rennes led Liverpool to identify him as a centre-back who could break the lines of the opposition with his passes and carries
Scout Lab progression graphic: Jacquet's progressive use of the ball at Rennes led Liverpool to identify him as a centre-back who could break the lines of the opposition with his passes and carries(Image: Scout Lab)
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He is in the top 10 among Premier League centre-backs for accurate passes (68.8) and line-breaking passes (16.4) per 90, while he ranks 11th for chances created (0.6) and third for accurate long balls (5.0) per 90, behind only van Dijk and Fulham's Joachim Andersen.
His confidence in possession has seen Alisson regularly pass to Jacquet as the deepest defender when playing out from the back, allowing van Dijk to advance into higher positions as the to influence the game - a role Jacquet also demonstrated he can play when replacing Joe Gomez off the bench against Spurs in the Carabao Cup.
The positive use of the ball he displayed in that game and others adds something new to Liverpool's arsenal of weapons, allowing Andoni Iraola's side to play quicker through the lines, and more in tune with the coach's instincts.
After Liverpool agreed to sign Jacquet in the January transfer window, I noted that his passing and chance creation numbers at such a young age meant he had the potential to become even better in possession than van Dijk - what we have seen so far indicates that that responsibility may be already beginning to shift.
READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk slams performance as Kostas Tsimikas beats Jurgen Klopp 'with his own weapons'
Key to the system
Of course, off-the-ball work forms the most important part of Jacquet's responsibilities, and the No. 5 has excelled in this respect too. His reading of the game allows Liverpool to play a higher defensive line than was often the case last season, Konate's indecisive tendencies and van Dijk's ageing legs perhaps warranting a more cautious approach.
With Jacquet alongside him, though, who is in the top 10 of Premier League centre-backs for tackles (2.4), interceptions (1.7) and recoveries (4.5) per 90 so far this season, van Dijk has been given the confidence to hold a higher line knowing he has a partner who can cut out the danger before he is required to turn more often than not.
Scout Lab defensive action map: Jacquet rarely lost a challenge last season at Rennes and showcased the anticipation to win the ball high up that has helped Liverpool play a high defensive line this season
Scout Lab defensive action map: Jacquet rarely lost a challenge last season at Rennes and showcased the anticipation to win the ball high up that has helped Liverpool play a high defensive line this season(Image: Scout Lab)
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In making the pitch more compact, Jacquet's suitability to Iraola's new setup has also benefitted Liverpool's midfield, particularly Alexis Mac Allister. The 27-year-old has so far had to make on average 2.36 fewer sprints per 90 than he did last season, and unsurprisingly this has correlated with an improvement in his form.
The Argentine should receive credit for returning to something approaching his best, but the more compact defensive structure has given him less running to do and thereby exposed his physical limitations less often - and Jacquet has been central to Iraola's capacity to implement that.
While the midfield may well be subject to further tweaks before Iraola's tactical plan is fully installed, the successful involvement of Liverpool's defenders in the man-to-man pressing triggers it relies on has already improved the Reds defensively, and has now resulted in three clean sheets back-to-back in the Premier League.
Focus and anticipation is required to execute this perfectly. Jacquet embodies those traits, winning the ball back cleanly and releasing it quickly to allow Iraola's Liverpool to exploit transitional scenarios.
This was already visible during Jacquet's time at Rennes, when he already ranked highly among centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues for both expected opposition threat (xT) prevented and the value of his passes and carries to scoring or avoiding the concession of a goal.
VAEP = Valuing Actions by Estimated Probabilities. Similar to Expected Threat, this is a measure of how much a players' actions influence the chances of scoring or conceding a goal. Combined, they can be used to assess a centre-back in and out of possession. Graphic by Scout Lab
VAEP and Expected Threat are measures of how much a players' actions influence the chances of scoring or conceding a goal. Combined, they can be used to assess a centre-back in and out of possession. Graphic by Scout Lab(Image: Scout Lab)
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What Jacquet has brought to Liverpool goes beyond duel numbers, tackles, and even set piece goals, a knack of his we are yet to see in a red shirt. At 21, he has already improved Liverpool's strongest XI, from back to front.
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A future leader?
Jacquet is fast becoming a fan favourite and that status will only grow if he continues putting in performances of the quality with which he has started his Liverpool career. Supporters were singing his name after the first 15 minutes against Como, and his chant will no doubt be heard more regularly in the weeks and months to come.
Confident and composed performances will get you a long way with Liverpool fans, but coming across as a decent and level-headed person can sometimes do just as much. At a time when the relationship between supporters and the team feels at its most fractious in a decade, that is priceless in starting to claw back a positive mood around the club.
On the level of specific players, Jacquet's arrival has also allowed Araujo to spend the majority of his time as a right-back. While it is not the Uruguayan's preferred position, playing with three centre-backs has made Liverpool far more solid at defending the often-exploited right channel as well as at set pieces, where they are yet to concede - and only Hull City have conceded fewer expected goals (xG) from set pieces than Liverpool's 0.5.
In fact, with Araujo to Jacquet's right, Liverpool are yet to concede a goal in the Premier League this season. Though Araujo fared well when asked to play centrally against Spurs, and in his substitute appearances, rebuilding the former Barcelona captain's confidence was always going to be key - now playing regularly at right-back, he looks like a man reborn.
Those two being in such strong form has a knock-on effect for Giovanni Leoni, on whom there is less pressure to perform well immediately upon his return from over a year out with an ACL injury, and of course for van Dijk.
On the one hand, van Dijk has returned to what might be considered his best form. He is playing an invaluable role in guiding the next generation of Liverpool centre-backs, Jacquet at the forefront of them.
On the other, he will turn 36 next summer when his current contract expires, and is currently Liverpool's highest earner. Though virtually all fans would want to see his near-decade of service rewarded with an extension, the Reds' owners do not have a record of handing out multi-year contracts to players over the age of 35.
The only precedent is James Milner, who received a one-year extension in 2022 at the age of 36, but only after an intervention from Jurgen Klopp. Iraola does not wield that same power, nor was Milner on the same money as van Dijk, and furthermore there is no guarantee van Dijk would accept a one-year extension if offered a similar deal.
Jacquet's presence makes such a parting of the ways feel less like an inevitable disaster than it would have before the summer, and means there is more pressure on the captain to maintain his high standards if he has ambitions of signing what would surely be one final contract at Liverpool.
Another season at the top could yet force the owners' hand, and van Dijk's place in the starting XI is in no doubt, which couldn't be further from Milner's status in 2022. But though the Frenchman will remain the junior partner in this hierarchy, van Dijk will be more aware than anyone that Jacquet is a more accomplished player at 21 than he was, and he appears exhilarated by the potential of the player whose path he is helping to guide.
Whether the changing of the guard takes place next summer or further down the line, it does appear the club have found the next leader of Liverpool's defence.
*All statistics used are from Fotmob unless otherwise stated.
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