Ryan Gravenberch has shared an intriguing message that Jurgen Klopp gave him during Wednesday’s Liverpool training session.
In the Reds’ 3-1 Europa League triumph over LASK on Thursday night, the midfielder made his debut start for the team, assisting Luis Diaz’s goal and turning in an all-around strong effort.
After the game, the Dutchman talked with Liverpoolfc.com and revealed what the boss had told him in Kirkby the day before.
“Yesterday after training,” said Gravenberch, “[Klopp] came to me and told me [to] feel free, you know, you can do whatever you want, of course you have to do your things, but he just said feel free and show yourself and the Ryan you are.”
The 21-year-old appears to be a particular talent in Klopp’s hands, as he is encouraged to express himself on the field rather than forced into a predetermined role for tactical reasons.
With only three Bundesliga starts granted to him last season by Bayern Munich (WhoScored), Gravenberch had very little opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. For Liverpool, though, it’s likely that he’ll be given a considerably larger stage on which to do so.
Yesterday evening demonstrated why the manager is correct to give the midfielder such freedom; he was superb on the ball but he diligently worked for his team when not in control of the ball.
He made a team-high four vital passes, according to Sofascore, and earned four free kicks, making life difficult for LASK. He also showed that he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and win the ball back by winning five of his duels and making one tackle.
Gravenberch is an example of how talented players frequently only require the proper manager to handle them well. With Julian Nagelsmann or Thomas Tuchel at Bayern, he never really had that, but happily for us, it already appears like a very different scenario under Klopp.
The 21-year-old will probably produce a masterpiece if given the freedom to do so.