At the start of summer, Liverpool were in desperate need of a No6 to finally replace the loss of Fabinho.
And after months of searching, Martin Zubimendi was identified as a perfect fit for the club, although he opted to stay at Real Sociedad leaving Liverpool hopeless.
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However, after Arne Slot had a successful preseason working with the players, Ryan Gravenberch was given the green light to make the defensive midfield position his own.
Ever since, almost every football fan across Europe has had their mouths left wide open in admiration for the players’ efforts, as he seamlessly controls the ball and drops his shoulder when the opposition comes to press him.
One pundit who has been particularly impressed with the Dutchman is Jan Mulder, who spoke to De Volkskrant about his thoughts on the midfielder.
He said: “All go to Liverpool and buy a ticket for Anfield there. Not because of that stadium, but to see Ryan Gravenberch play.
“I think his style is of a rare beauty. How he walks, there really is no need to use a ball.”
Gravenberch’s talent surpasses Dutch great
Liverpool fans could not have been more surprised by the performances Gravenberch is delivering every game and this form has extended for his national team as well as for Liverpool.
Keeping a keen eye on the 22-year-old across the different competitions, Mulder goes on to compare him to former Fiorentina midfielder Giancarlo Antognoni, who played throughout the 1980s and 90s, adding: “Also so elegant, but I think Gravenberch is even better.
“How he recently played against Manchester United and against Germany, that is really the highest class. That soft movement, it just made your jaw drop.”
When framing the midfielder with other players of his generation, he said: “Later boys like [Clarence] Seedorf and [Edgar] Davids came along. Also two class players, but not with the grandeur of Ryan Gravenberch.”
These are remarkably high compliments of Gravenberch, but his efforts so far this season have made him undoubtedly Liverpool’s best player this season so far – a high accolade given how well the team has been playing.
Mulder is not the first Dutch pundit to think highly of Ryan, with Rafael van der Vaart running out of superlatives for the player in his praise given during the September international break.
Liverpool do have Alexis Mac Allister who can fit in the defensive midfielder role, as well as Wataru Endo who is currently not in great favour with Arne Slot, but were the club to lose Gravenberch to injury, it would be a really significant setback.
But as long as his fitness stays high, as it has done throughout all 11 matches that he has played for club and country this season, then there is no obvious reason to suggest his form will falter anytime soon.
This is not to say Liverpool have ended their search for a new defensive midfielder, that would perhaps be a little premature despite Gravenberch’s heroics, with other targets beyond Zubimendi being scouted, but it is great to see a clear example of Arne Slot’s coaching so early on in his tenureship of the club.
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