Forty-five minutes and a statement
The Kop was chanting his name by the 16th minute. For a player who had never before set foot on Anfield’s turf in a Reds shirt, that is some way to start the night.
Jeremy Jacquet was handed his first start alongside Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool’s final pre-season friendly, a 2-0 win over Como. He played only the first half, replaced at the break by Ronald Araujo. A rotation move, as planned by Andoni Iraola.
Forty-five minutes was all he needed. Seven duels won from 10, three tackles made from five, 96.4% pass completion. And a goal, bundled in after a Cody Gakpo delivery from a set piece.
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Van Dijk is 35, and the English press has done the maths
The reaction came quickly. This Is Anfield called it a “perfect debut” for the club’s new No. 5. The Athletic described a player who “impressed from the first minute with his composure on the ball” and his “blistering recovery pace”, to the point he was the main talking point at half-time.
On Sky Sports, pundit Adam Bate went further. He noted that Van Dijk, now 35 and captain, needs pace around him these days, and reckons Jacquet could be “his ideal new partner”. Bate also picked out the flaws: one missed tackle before the half-hour, covered by Jeremie Frimpong, and a botched clearance that was tidied up by an interception inside the box.
Alisson Becker, for his part, was more than happy. “Excellent on the ball, excellent defensively,” the Brazilian goalkeeper said.
Eight months in the making
It has been a long road. The transfer was wrapped up last winter for around 70 million euros, before Jacquet was loaned back to Stade Rennais until the end of the season. Then a dislocated shoulder ended his campaign in March. No farewell to SRFC on the pitch.
Officially through the door on 1 July, he still had to deal with a knee issue and a heavily cut-down pre-season. Iraola protected him. The whispers of concern were starting to grow.
Newcastle are up next week. Araujo is on loan, Jacquet is here for the long haul, and he has just piled on the pressure at exactly the wrong time for his rival.
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