Ryan Gravenberch is one of Liverpool's key stars, which was demonstrated in the match against Bologna. At Anfiled, many times The Kop fans have been amazed by the Dutch midfielder's skillful moves. Gradually, the image of old names like Jordan Henderson or Fabinho has withdrawn.
Calm, confident, not flashy and effective, those are short summaries of Gravenberch's performance against Bologna. Every time the 22-year-old star has the ball in his feet, his peace of mind is pushed up. Gravenberch has not made any mistakes and has always created momentum for his teammates to move forward.
Currently, the early stages of the Arne Slot era at Liverpool are very successful. They have won 8/9 matches and are still unbeaten since the beginning of the season. In the journey of more than 2 months, there are many stories to prove Slot's success, one of which is Gravenberch's remarkable progress.
Against Bologna, the Dutch midfielder successfully passed 41/45 times (accuracy rate 91%). Of these, 14/18 passes were successful in the opponent's third. Gravenberch also created 2 dangerous opportunities in front of the Serie A representative's goal. Finally, the Liverpool midfielder won the ball 9 times, the most on the field.
The change in playing style in Gravenberch's midfield has a great mark from coach Arne Slot. The 22-year-old star's ability to operate well in tight spaces is very important, it helps Liverpool not lose every time Bologna organizes a siege. With good pressing and steady progress, Gravenberch is considered a springboard to help the Liverpool team always tend to move forward.
"One of the best ways to get out of the pressure and overcome your opponent is to have a player who can dribble. If that player can overcome the opponent, all the pressure will be almost eliminated.
Gravenberch stands out with his ability to hold the ball well, which is very important for Liverpool. However, don't just focus on praising him for holding the ball well, Gravenberch's importance in midfield is also shown in many other aspects, which are the movements without the ball and winning the ball back from the opponent. In addition, his second balls are also very impressive" - Slot shared after the win over Bologna.
Gravenberch's first season at Liverpool began with a €45 million signing from Bayern Munich on the final day of the 2023 summer transfer window. He has made 38 appearances in all competitions, but 17 of those have come from the bench.
Last season, Jurgen Klopp still favored Alexis Mac-Allister or Wataru Endo in the "number 6" position. After that, Ryan Gravenberch continued to have to compete with Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott for a starting spot. At that time, endurance was one of the factors that caused Gravenberch to lose out in this race.
This season, the transformation has been clearly felt in the 22-year-old star. He has played the full 90 minutes in all 8 matches since the beginning of the season. The Dutch midfielder is physically fitter, using his strength intelligently in one-on-one situations. In addition, he is also calmer as he controls the ball and his tactical vision is improving day by day.
If Liverpool successfully recruited Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad last summer, maybe Gravenberch will continue to be friends on the bench. However, fate did not let Liverpool own Zubimendi, it called Gravenberch's name and this young star seized the opportunity very well.
When they missed Zubimendi's target, Liverpool were not pursuing any backup options for this position. A few months ago, this was a very bold decision by Arne Slot. The Dutch strategist maintained the view that Gravenberch would play very well in the role of a deep-lying midfielder. In the end, that risk was rewarded with a perfect "new habinho" at Anfield.
In just a few months, Gravenberch has moved from a winger to a central midfield and has developed remarkably. Perhaps even the Dutch star himself could not believe that everything would change so quickly. Fortunately, he has not been thrown out of the changing machine through a new era at Liverpool.
