Ryan Gravenberch has been certainly one of Arne Slot‘s greatest gamers during the last 18 months, however the 23-year-old nonetheless has loads of untapped potential, believes Dutch soccer professional Joe Baker.
There are a number of well-documented issues that Liverpool have to resolve proper now, however Gravenberch just isn’t certainly one of them.
Transformed final season right into a defensive midfielder by Slot, he was named Premier League Younger Participant of the Yr for the 2024/25 season.
It was the Dutchman’s coming-of-age second. The event from precocious expertise at Ajax, to misunderstood choice at Bayern Munich, to certainly one of Europe’s greatest younger deep-lying midfielders at Liverpool.
Nonetheless, the full-potential of Gravenberch is susceptible to not being realised. Not because of him personally however these round – or not round – him.
In 2023, Liverpool pushed laborious to signal Moises Caicedo earlier than ending up with Wataru Endo, who Slot clearly doesn’t charge sufficient to start out.
Over two years later, the necessity for a top-level defensive midfielder stays. To not substitute Gravenberch however to assist him and, crucially, allow the 23-year-old to take his sport to the following degree.
A participant too good to be pigeon-holed
It’s true that Gravenberch might go on to turn out to be a world-class defensive midfielder.
But, because of the high quality and intelligence that has enabled him to take the position, it has maybe been forgotten that it’s nonetheless not his most pure place.
What made him one of the vital thrilling abilities at Ajax in years and satisfied first Bayern after which Jurgen Klopp to signal him was Gravenberch’s potential as an athletic, all-action, box-to-box midfielder who might do virtually all the pieces from the center of the park.
Sure, a participant with excellent positional sense and bodily presence who might assist defensively, however a artistic power who might unlock defences along with his passing and composure, bursting into the penalty space with well-timed runs.
For instance, watch his aim for Ajax within the KNVB Cup ultimate in 2021.
Earlier than final season, Gravenberch had appeared as a defensive midfielder a mere 19 instances from 172 senior appearances at three golf equipment.
Nearly all of these had been with Ajax, virtually solely towards groups within the backside half of the desk after they might afford to have a extra attacking setup.
At Anfield, he’s nonetheless studying on the job in what’s at present a fairly chaotic office.
To limit him to 1 space of the pitch – even whether it is one through which he’s doing effectively – is to arguably suffocate the qualities that might make him top-of-the-line all-round midfielders on the planet.
Reduce the load
The principle challengers to Liverpool’s Premier League crown all have skilled gamers within the defensive midfield place.
Beneath Pep Guardiola, Man Metropolis by no means look fairly proper with out Rodri. Caicedo is likely one of the first names on the teamsheet at Chelsea and, final summer season, the signing of Martin Zubimendi was seen as one of many key ultimate items of the Arsenal jigsaw – not simply to guard the again 4 however to present Declan Rice extra freedom within the ultimate third.
Just about each staff besides Liverpool, within the prime half of the desk final season, had a defensive midfield specialist of their ranks taking part in recurrently.
Proper now Gravenberch is being requested to do an excessive amount of; to guard the again 4, cowl the gaps at full-back, launch assaults, typically assist assaults, dictate the tempo, stress opposition midfielders and sometimes fill in at centre-half.
He needs to be each the staff’s water-carrier and certainly one of its key artistic designers. It’s a credit score to him that he has been in a position to cope in any respect.
Signing one other top-level participant to play alongside Gravenberch, who’s comfy sitting deep and breaking apart assaults, can unleash him additional forwards.
And that participant doesn’t essentially must be somebody within the Caicedo or Carlos Baleba mould.
A have a look at the Netherlands nationwide staff affords an fascinating instance, with Gravenberch forming an efficient partnership alongside Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
The latter pushes again towards our stereotypes about what a deep-lying midfielder must be.
De Jong’s sport combines correct passing, neat touches and easy dribbles with having the ability to put his foot in, intercept passes and block passing channels. That is topped off by his boundless power.
Working collectively, they dovetail attacking and defensive duties. It should seemingly be the Oranje’s beginning midfield partnership in subsequent summer season’s World Cup, additional balanced by the extra attacking Tijjani Reijnders.
It bodes effectively for followers if Liverpool are thinking about signing Nottingham Forest‘s Elliott Anderson, whose profile suits this specific invoice.
A necessity for midfield stability
This may not solely release Gravenberch however supply the additional defensive cowl that an especially open Liverpool at present want, particularly with the present weaknesses on the centre of defence and the variety of attacking gamers Slot is usually fielding.
Regardless of his versatility, Dominik Szoboszlai is at his greatest as an attacking midfielder or a participant anticipated to influence the sport extra within the ultimate third.
The very same may be mentioned for each Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister, each very proficient gamers who can do a job centrally however whose video games have by no means been about anchoring and defending a midfield.
Followers know all three will run their socks off for the staff and, towards weaker sides, taking part in certainly one of them alongside Gravenberch works effectively. Nonetheless, towards extra attacking sides this season – wins towards Actual Madrid and Arsenal however – it has usually left Liverpool too uncovered.
With Endo solely beginning video games within the Carabao Cup, you need to assume his probabilities of coming in additional completely are restricted. In the meantime, accidents have considerably curtailed the progress and possibilities for Stefan Bajcetic.
Hindsight is a superb factor however did Liverpool make a mistake promoting academy graduate Tyler Morton, who’s at present performing effectively and beginning practically each sport in defensive midfield for Lyon?
Liverpool might do with a January signing
Followers might learn this and scoff on the suggestion of signing one other midfielder this January. Certainly, a centre-half might be the larger precedence.
Nonetheless, when folks discuss in regards to the present squad being too top-heavy, it isn’t simply in regards to the variety of attackers and defenders however the imbalance in midfield too.
There’s a obvious lack of gamers in a position to do the dirtier work in midfield and plug the holes which were all too obvious this season.
This may assist tighten the staff up defensively, present a greater platform for the myriad of attacking gamers to wreak havoc and, considerably, present certainly one of Liverpool’s most proficient gamers with the setting to show why he can turn out to be one of many world’s greatest all-round central midfielders.
Gravenberch is just too good to be pigeon-holed. It’s time to discover a method to actually unleash his potential.
