Arne Slot was given a fairly definitive brief upon his appointment as Liverpool manager. He was tasked with getting more out of the current players at Anfield.
There was a belief that there was more to come from this group under the watchful eye of the former Feyenoord boss.
And yet, despite this, the Reds were eager to spend the best part of £60million to sign a midfielder, just 12 months after a £150million middle third rebuild.
Martin Zubimendi was the club’s top summer target. He was earmarked to anchor the midfield under the Dutch tactician.
Liverpool had options in midfield with Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott all vying for minutes.
Slot, seemingly, wasn’t convinced though. Why else would the Reds look to bring in the Spanish playmaker?
After Zubimendi went back on his word and rejected a move to Anfield, the expectation was that Liverpool would divert their attention and funds elsewhere as they looked to improve their options at the base of the midfield.
They didn’t, though. Instead, Slot looked at the options he already had. At first, he was making do with Gravenberch there after Jones had failed to impress.
But then the short-term solution turned into a long-term one.
Gravenberch is one of the first names on the Liverpool team sheet now.
Few would’ve imagined that 12 months ago.
The former Ajax midfielder was handpicked by former boss Jurgen Klopp before his departure. The Reds had already signed Endo, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister during the summer of 2023 but the German coach was eager to add the Dutchman.
The Liverpool Echo claimed that Klopp leveraged his relationship with the Liverpool owners to convince the club to spend a further £38.5million on Gravenberch. The ex-Liverpool boss was adamant that Gravenberch was not a “luxury add-on”.
His actions didn’t necessarily align with his words though. Klopp didn’t give the No38 many opportunities in his starting XI and whenever he did, the midfield balance looked off.
In his set-up, it felt like a case of Gravenberch or Szoboszlai rather than both. There were concerns over whether the pair could co-exist.
Now, though, it is impossible to imagine the Liverpool XI without both in.
That Gravenberch turn 🤤 pic.twitter.com/RCFV9dnkHI
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 8, 2025
Slot deserves a lot of credit for his tinkering. He decided to use Gravenberch at the base of the midfield with Szoboszlai being a fourth attacker. He put his faith in his compatriot and he’s being rewarded for it.
"The coach knows that I have a lot of football in me," Gravenberch said as per De Volkskrant.
"He has a clear plan, with the build-up, with the pressing. It is up to me to maintain that and be consistent. He gave me the chance from the start. I had to focus on a certain position.
"A bit more defensive. I do my thing and that works out well. That has to do with myself and with the coach. There was clarity from the start. We play as a team, and then the individual also looks better."
Speaking to Trouw, he highlighted the differences between Klopp and Slot.
“I sometimes had matches where I only touched the ball after five minutes [under Klopp]. Then I don’t get into my game, I don’t get into my rhythm. This feels more comfortable to me.”
This season, Gravenberch has been just as important to this Liverpool team as Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. He won’t get the plaudits for it, his work goes under the radar. As it should, with him being a defensive midfielder.
The less you hear about him, the better he’s doing.
He should be in contention to win the Player of the Year award though.
He doesn't have the goals or assists but the impact he’s had on Liverpool is massive.
He’s a key reason as to why they’re in the title race. He’s one of the reasons they have the best defensive record in the Premier League - allowing just 0.9 goals per 90 - and their underlying numbers are the best in the English top-flight, giving up chances with an expected goals against (xGA) value of 21 across their 23 outings this term.
They’ve kept the joint-most clean sheets (10), despite having to deal with injuries to key players at various times.
Gravenberch has been one of the few constants.
He gives them a solid base and this allows them to be resilient in defence and efficient in attack. To go with their impressive defensive numbers, the Reds have the best attack in the league - averaging 2.4 goals per 90, they have the highest expected goals (xG) haul and are the only side to be in triple digits for chances created this term (100).
The 22-year-old won’t get the credit for these numbers because he’s not directly responsible for them. But he’s pivotal to it all.
His showing against Bournemouth on Saturday epitomises it. He won the most tackles (four), won the most duels (nine) and had the highest pass success rate of any player with over 45 minutes of football on the day (93%).
The former Bayern Munich man wins the ball, retains the ball and then progresses the ball. And he does so in central areas.
The Dutch international is an influential member of this Liverpool side. The same Liverpool team that is currently six points clear at the summit with a game in hand.
He deserves the praise and his role in this should be acknowledged.
Salah likely has all of the individual awards won after his unbelievable campaign, but Gravenberch should be a close second. He’s been the difference between a top-four push and a title challenge this term for Liverpool.
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