fantasy football FPL – new player profiles – Liverpool’s Lazar Markovic

Lazar Markovic is a 20 year old 5 foot 9 inch Serbian winger/attacking midfielder that Liverpool have signed from Benfica for £19.8m.  We’ll look at the background to the acquisition, the players stats and his FPL prospects

fantasy football FPL – new player profiles – Liverpool’s Lazar Markovic

Background

Liverpool for sometime have been trying to buy a quality wide player.  Raheem Sterling has been a major success but Luis Alberto and Oussama Assaidi  have not been a sucess and Jordan Ibe is still a bit young to pick up the mantle.  At the moment Rodgers really doesn’t have the personnel to play 4-3-3 as I’m sure he would want to.  It was no secret they wanted to spend a fair proportion of the Luis Suarez money on Alexis Sanchez.  They have now spent nigh on £20m for a young Serbian winger/attacking midfielder with potential rather than being the finished package to fill the left wing forward void.

What they have got is a young player of immense promise.  Markovic is noted for his pace and accelartation plus his skill on the ball.  He also has the ability to run at defenders and go past them.   He’s a similar type of player to Sterling in build and style of play.  Although mainly a winger he is versatile.  His preference is to play on the left wing but he can play on the right, as well as centrally as a number 10.

His signing also gives alot of depth to the midfield positions.  New signings Lallana and Emre Can are added to the existing midfield players of Joe Allen, Henderson, Gerrard and Coutinho.

Markovic comes from a Benfica side where there is huge pressure to win every game and great expectations.  They also play a similar style to Liverpool with a similar agreesive pressing game with an emphasis on winning the ball back and very quick and direct transitions from defence to attack

Here’s what Rodgers had to say:

“This is an exciting signing for us and one that improves our squad, in terms of attacking options, for the coming season.

“He was hugely impressive for Benfica last season and has proved he has the ability to produce the goods in European competition as well, which will be important for us.

“Lazar is flexible to play a number of positions, but I like the way he attacks games and is always positive and looking to make something happen. He will fit in with the way we play at Liverpool.

“Getting him at such a young age is also very pleasing for us, because we will be able to work with him to develop his talent within our group and improve him even further.

“He is the sort of character who is hungry to get better and progress; this is what we look for in players.”

Here’s his various league stats:

He’s played 6 matches for the full Serbian International side for 2 goals.  In total in the Europa League he’s played 18 matches for 1 goal and 2 assists.  That’s a goal or assist every 332 minutes.  In the Champions league he’s played 11 games for 1 assist and no goals.  Thats a goal or assist every 624 minutes.

Certainly the stats are hardly impressive.  Sterling who’s a year younger at 19 last season played 33 games for 9 goals and 7 assists.  That was a goal or assist every 138 minutes.  Considerably better.  Also the Portugese league would involve alot of easier games than the Premier league.

Fantasy premier league prospects

Game time is a tricky one.  He’s a young player coming from a different less intense league who you would think would be eased into it rather than in the starting line up from GW1.  However he is a massive talent by all accounts.

With Saurez gone we may see a change in formations.  This could actually suit Markovic.  Rodgers played a 4-4-2 midfield diamond and 3-5-2 in order to pair his 2 fantastically succssful strikers.  However that could change unless a big name forward is purchased.

Last season a typical lineup would be the 4-4-2 diamond.  The midfield would see Gerrard at the base.  Allen and Henderson were often the shuttlers at the side of the diamond with Coutinho or Sterling at the tip.  Suarez and Sturridge up front.

Markovic would allow Rodgers to play 4-3-3 and to have 2 wide men flanking Sturridge in Sterling and Markovic.  That formation just wasted the talent of Sturridge or Suarez out wide last season.  Alternatively Rodgers could play 4-2-3-1.  The double pivot 2 would be Gerrard and Henderson with Emre Can featuring.  The attacking midfield 3 could then be Lallana, Sterling and Markovic or Coutinho.

Preseason will go someway to assessing whether he will start.

Summary

• Markovic is a wide player that Rodgers has long been seeking
• Talented and very fast young player plus versatile.  Can play either wing or a number 10
• Pretty ordinary goal and assist stats to date
• Could fit well into 4-3-3.  Competition for 4-2-3-1
• Preseason will assess gametime potential

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fantasy football FPL

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