Why Maximilian Meza would be a great signing for Liverpool
Maximilian Meza is currently one of Argentina’s brightest homegrown talents. Plying his trade with Primera Division club Independiente, Meza is not a familiar name on the lips of football fans in Europe but he was one of the players to watch out for at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Despite making 4 appearances for Argentina at the World Cup, the 26-year-old failed to make an impression amidst the lacklustre displays of his teammates. However, Meza has continued his impressive run of form on the domestic front.
A product of Gimnasia y Esgrima, Meza was promoted to the senior team in 2012 and established himself as a seasoned campaigner for his boyhood club, helping his team secure promotion to the top-flight. Four successful seasons at Gimnasia earned him a move to Independiente and Meza earned rave reviews as one of the brightest talents in the Argentina Primera Division.
The 26-year-old, who has 10 international caps to his name, joined Mexican club Monterrey this season after a successful season in the Argentine top-flight. Meza has accumulated 3 goals and an assist in 11 appearances for Independiente this season, averaging 1.7 shots, 1.5 key passes and 3.5 dribbles per game.
At 5ft 11in with a relatively lean frame, Meza is not a physically dominating attacker but he has considerable upper body strength which allows him to embark on powerful runs through the defence.
A central attacking midfielder by trade, Meza is a tactically versatile attacker who can play on either side of the pitch due to his two-footed nature. He is primarily a right-footed player but he is almost equally comfortable with his left foot as well.
Known for his ability to bring a dead attack to life, Meza can torment defences with his pace, acceleration and dribbling skills. He is an extremely agile and fleet-footed creative midfielder who can prove to be a constant bully for the defenders.
Meza’s ability to change directions in the blink of an eye and make sharp turns allow him to create that extra yard of space for himself to exploit. In other words, the Argentine international has all the attributes to set the cat amongst the pigeons in the opposition’s backline.
To add to that, Meza has the ability to link up effectively with his teammates and uses his vision to play them in behind the backline. He is more devastating when deployed down the wide areas as it allows him to cut inside with his pace and skills to draw the defenders out from their positions. Furthermore, he is never afraid to have a crack on goal from outside the box.
To put things into perspective, Maximilian Meza would be a fantastic buy for Liverpool in January or next summer. Jurgen Klopp’s men have enjoyed their best ever start to a top-flight season and are currently the only team unbeaten in the Premier League.
Liverpool currently sit on top the standings, 7 points clear of reigning champions Manchester City. The Reds have played some mesmerising attacking football under Jurgen Klopp and the manager will be happy that all his summer signings, especially Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson, have hit the ground running.
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However, the Reds can further bolster their attack with a pacy creative ace like Meza as he has the ability to change the complexion of the game in a matter of 15-20 minutes. Adam Lallana has fallen out of favour and the former Southampton man doesn’t have the sharpness and the tenacity to play a substantial role in Klopp’s high-intensity attacking football.
That said, the Reds should start keeping tabs on the Argentine international and try to table a bid for him in the summer.