SUPERB START FOR GRAVENBERCH
Liverpool defeated LASK 3-1 in the Europa League to start their European campaign on the right foot.
The Reds struggled in the first half, and Florian Flekker’s incredible goal put the visitors up at the break.
Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Mohamed Salah’s goals in the second half, however, were enough to give the Reds three points.
In actuality, Ryan Gravenberch, making his professional debut, provided the assist for Luis Diaz’s decisive second-half goal.
But in this post, we’ll go into more detail about Ryan Gravenberch’s overall performance in his Reds debut and what to anticipate from the young player going forward.
PERFORMANCE
Alongside Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, and Stefan Bajcetic in Jurgen Klopp’s newly modified box midfield, the 21-year-old made his debut as a central midfielder.
Alongside Endo, the latter performed as an inverted full-back, allowing Gravenberch and Elliott more freedom of movement.
Gravenberch was positioned in Klopp’s center midfield on the left flank, where he frequently connected with Kostas Tsimikas and Luis Diaz.
Before being replaced in the 74th minute with what appeared to be cramping, the youthful player was one of Liverpool’s star performances.
He was able to really drive with the ball and advance his side as far up the field as possible thanks to his creative flexibility.
His raw strength and pace when advancing with the ball were quite obvious, and LASK players really struggled to dislodge the youngster.
More than any other player on the field for either side throughout the contest, the Dutch international was fouled four times.
Only Ben Doak (6) and Darwin Nunez (3) performed more advanced dribbles with the ball than Gravenberch’s two.
Throughout the entire game, his passing was also a complete joy to behold, frequently dislodging LASK’s midfield lines.
Even though Gravenberch only completed 23 passes during the 74 minutes, his 70% pass completion percentage actually symbolizes how forward-thinking and inventive his efforts were.
Four of the 23 passes he completed were crucial, and one of them—the assist on Luis Diaz’s goal—created a significant opportunity.
The 21-year-old made more crucial passes than any other player on the field, with Darwin Nunez and Stefan Bajcetic each completing two.
DEFENDING SKILLS
Whether Gravenberch possesses the skills to be a viable solution to Liverpool’s defensive midfield problems will have been closely watched by many.
Well, the young player appeared to have a lot of potential, both on and off the ball.
In his 74 minutes on the field, Gravenberch won five ground duels and one aerial duel, more ground duels than any other Liverpool player.
Despite his youth, he displayed a great deal of maturity in his anticipation and positioning around both penalty areas.
THE FUTURE STEPS
Therefore, there were undoubtedly some encouraging indicators that Klopp would try to develop Gravenberch into a defensive midfielder.
But it was obvious that as a more creative midfielder, he was at his best while playing on the front foot.
He can easily drive into advantageous positions and select forward passes, but his judgment in the final third might still use some work.
However, that might happen after a string of games when his match sharpness is considerably improved.
I believe that Gravenberch is now best served when used on the right side in the same capacity as Dominik Szobozslai.
Gravenberch and Curtis Jones will therefore likely compete for the left-sided spot on Klopp’s squad sheet, in my opinion.