Musialowski has played 5 games this season in the Premier league 2 for us. His start to the season explained here:
Liverpool winger Mateusz Musiałowski has had a frustrating start to the season, but his U21s manager Barry Lewtas identified what must come next for the Pole.
At times, Mateusz Musiałowski has been a name that has excited Liverpool fans the world over. When he scored an excellent goal against Newcastle United in 2021, Liverpool's official Twitter account put out the video, and Reds fans lapped it up.
This season, though, has been more of a struggle for fitness, form and minutes. In the 5-1 win for Liverpool U21s vs Wolves on Saturday, he started just his second match of the campaign. So far, he has only racked up 187 minutes in total this season for
Liverpool, as well as a couple of appearances for Poland U21s"He has had a few injuries, then there was an international break and a few little bits, and he had a bit of an ankle injury in the past," Liverpool's U21s manager,
Barry Lewtas, explained to
Liverpool.com on Saturday following the match with Wolves.
game back for a while and sometimes you have to find a bit of rhythm — that's for us to help him with and for him to find as well. He did OK — there were a few little flashes and moments where I thought he was going to get a shot off in the first half, but for him, it's just about games and trying to get rhythm.
"It's hard if you're on the side of the pitch this season —
Mel Frauendorf has done well; Harvey Blair has done well. We have other players in there as well — it's a bit like the two number nines [Layton Stewart and
Oakley Cannonier] — you've got to find rhythm and get into the team.
"We're still developing players and Matty got his opportunity today and I was pleased with him. There's plenty of the season to go so let's see what happens."
There is, clearly, a talent there. His dribbling and natural ability needs honing further but there is ability to work with. In one moment against Wolves, Musiałowski nudged the ball over the top of the opposition goalkeeper, who had rushed out of his goal to close him down, only to be saved by a defender scrambling the ball off the line — inches from being a goal.
"Mateusz did not knock on the door, he just broke it. What a talent!"
Pep Lijnders once enthused (via
Sport). "He is constantly looking for something new in the attack. He can use the smallest gap to create a situation. Quality does not need large spaces. There are young players who are immediately appreciated in the first team. This is what happened with Mateusz."
Polish outlet
Sport reported recently that
Jürgen Klopp used Musiałowski in the build-up to the
Champions League final, using him against Trent Alexander-Arnold to mimic the dribbling and one-versus-one ability of Real Madrid's Vinícius Jr.
But that same report in Poland a few weeks ago claimed that
Musiałowski was not defensively aware enough for Liverpool's liking and that he was struggling to fulfil tactical instructions, writing that he was 'closer to the Ekstraklasa [Poland's top division] than the Premier League'.
He was not one of the young talents taken on the pre-season tour this summer, with the likes of
Bobby Clark preferred (though he did come on as a substitute in the Anfield friendly against Strasbourg). But while the report in Poland was harsh about the chances of one of their top talents making it at Anfield, it is true that he has lacked consistency and, like most teenagers, still has a lot of developing to do.
As Lewtas explained, there were flashes against Wolves — something to build upon. There have been great moments within games. Now, turning 19 next weekend, Musiałowski needs to find some consistency in order to take his game to take the next step. Getting some luck with his fitness would be a good start.
