Yesterday evening, at Anfield, Jeremy Jacquet introduced himself to the Liverpool faithful in what can only be described as a fairytale debut. In the Reds’ 2-0 home victory against Como, Jacquet was given the start, and although he played just 45 minutes, he made every single one of them count.
In his first half cameo, the French defender won 7 of his 10 duels, 3 of his 5 tackles, completed 27 of 29 passes, recorded 3 recoveries (Sofascore), and capped it off with a 44th minute goal. In just one half of play, Jacquet racked up statistics that many would be proud of had they played a full match. He was dominant in so many ways that it’s hard to carry any other feeling than excitement out of that game.
But we must remember that 45 minutes is a very short amount of time to be conducting a comprehensive player review, and we must see more stellar performances before we can confidently look at him as the answer to Liverpool’s long-term defensive questions. We do this song and dance almost every season with new players, and we are often caught out on our eagerness to crown an exciting new face the ‘signing of all signings’.
But the reason I’m even sticking my head out for Jacquet is not because in one half, I’ve been convinced that he is the second coming of Sergio Ramos (although the Liverpool fan in me would love to run with that idea), it’s that the way in which he imprinted himself on the game is one that I can see being replicated over the course of this season, in large part to the way that Andoni Iraola’s teams often play.
Bournemouth, under Iraola, have been one of the most entertaining and exciting teams in the Premier League. It was clear that their playing philosophy placed great emphasis on being direct, athletic, and pressing teams into hell. According to Opta, Bournemouth had the most direct attacks last season with 83. They also ranked 2nd, 1st, and 4th in direct speed, and Opta metric that measures how quickly teams progress the ball towards goal, over the last three seasons respectively. They also ranked 5th lowest in passes per possession, lending further support for the idea that Iraola is cerebrally direct.
But what do all of these attacking numbers mean for Liverpool’s defence, and Jacquet in particular? Well, they act as general indicators of the kind of role that Iraola gives to his defence. With so much direct offense, you are bound to give something up on the backside. And the stats show exactly that. Last season, Bournemouth conceded 54 goals, the 7th worst mark in the Premier League. They were respectable in 24/25 ranking 7th best, but Iraola’s first season (23/24) they ranked 5th worst, which points to the idea that Iraola’s philosophy can be defensively fragile. Bournemouth also ranked 6th for shots on target allowed last season, surrendering 11 more than Liverpool (13th) did under a more pragmatic Arne Slot (FBref).
Now, if we look back at the season in which they were respectable defensively (24/25), we can see how personnel and profiles can completely change the identity of an Iraola defense. In said season, Bournemouth fielded Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen in central defence, two of that season’s best defenders – evidenced by the fact that they were signed by PSG and Real Madrid in the following summer for £57m and £50m respectively.
Zabarnyi, who stands at 6”2, 84kg, won aerial and ground duels at 64% and 62% rates respectively (Sofascore), whilst Huijsen (6”5, 87kg) won 74.29% of all defensive duels, the highest of any Bournemouth player with at least 50 duels in the 24/25 season (Coaches’ Voice). Huijsen’s impressive 3.3 recoveries per 90 that season makes Jacquet’s 3 recoveries in 45 minutes last night look even more special.
Ultimately, both Zabarnyi and Huijsen are true physical specimens who also have great on-ball skills. And while their ball-playing ability was very important to Iraola’s way of playing, and is typically is what most people revel in, it was actually their physical presence that was most important when playing under the Spanish manager. And that’s because if you’re going to place great emphasis on offensive chaos, high pressing, and short possessions, you must be good at defending in transition, defending your box (especially aerially), and being aggressive to win the ball back on the ground – since those are the areas that you are most exposed when carrying such an offensive identity. Zabarnyi and Huijsen were great at those things, and thus, Bournemouth had their best defensive season under Iraola by far.
Now, this is all relevant to Jeremy Jacquet because he is a phenomenal athlete first and foremost. The Frenchman stands at 6”2, weighs 77kg, and has elite speed – clocking a maximum speed of 34.5km/h against Lille last season (per Gradient Sports). He won aerial duels at a 75.5% clip (third best in Ligue 1), and duels on the ground at a 62% rate too (top-20 in Ligue 1), according to Opta.
Being such a good athlete, he is already well positioned to be good in transition, in the air, and aggressive on the ground. But having the potential to be great in those areas is one thing, actually being great there is another. And that is why the 45 minutes he blessed us with last night are so promising. His 70% ground duel rate, 60% tackle rate, and 3 recoveries look even better when you add the context that comes with Iraola’s footballing philosophy. Those stats mixed in an ideology that is already sured up defensively may be nice, but in an ideology that has already shown that it can be fragile defensively, they become invaluable. They say that Jacquet not only has the potential to be as impactful as Huijsen and Zabarnyi were at some point, but that he could be that from day 1.
That is why his debut was coincidentally perfect. The 93% pass accuracy is great, the 9 carries are elite, but coincidentally, the part of his game that was most impressive was the part that Iraola’s Liverpool will need the most – and that is his ability to provide stability for a chaotic offense by impacting the game defensively with his freak athleticism.
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