Aleksandar Pavlović appears to be enjoying the freedom and responsibility that come with playing in Jürgen Klopp’s Germany midfield.
Against Serbia, Pavlović lined up alongside Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz, and the combination immediately offered Germany an interesting mix of technical quality, energy, and defensive work. Pavlović clearly enjoyed the experience.
“It was incredibly fun playing alongside Tom and Flo [against Serbia]. You can see that we all have a lot of quality on the ball. We complemented
each other well defensively, too. On the ball, Flo obviously has complete freedom, and we try to get the ball to him as much as possible,” Pavlović said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
The last part is particularly important: Wirtz is at his best when he can roam and find pockets of space, while Pavlović and Bischof provide the platform that allows him to influence the game higher up the pitch. Against Serbia, there were signs that the three could complement one another nicely.
For Pavlović, though, his role is ultimately about contributing wherever Klopp needs him rather than worrying about a specific label.
“Ultimately, the coach decides what role I have, but I simply want to contribute my qualities to the team when I play — control the game when I have the ball, press when we don’t have the ball, go into duels, help the team defensively and offensively. That’s what I want to give the team,” Pavlović stated.
That all-around mentality could make Pavlović an increasingly important piece as Klopp continues to shape Germany.
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