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Liverpool ace has even surprised Arne Slot as two Ryan Gravenberch moments speak volumes

Ryan Gravenberch in action for Liverpool against Wolves.
-Credit: (Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)


Sometimes, the most hard-fought victories are the ones that feel the greatest — not that Liverpool will have any time to dwell on its 2-1 win away at Wolves.

By Wednesday, it will be back in action again — then in the Champions League — with the Italian side Bologna coming to town. Once again, no matter the performance, the expectation will be that Liverpool wins.

Even in what could be described as a less-than-perfect performance in the Premier League against Wolves, Ryan Gravenberch was once again quietly impressive. He completed 92 per cent of his passes in a congested midfield third and won all three of his attempted tackles while winning every one of the eight duels he contested.

"[It's] not only me [who is happy], I think all fans are as well — and him (Gravenberch) too!" Arne Slot told Sky Sports post-match. "He's just very comfortable on the ball, with Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) as well, and that helps the team if you want to have a possession style of play.

"If you want to have the ball and you want to keep it for as long as you can, it always helps if you have two players who are so comfortable on the ball in the holding midfielder position. And the two of them if they can run as well.

"If you think of the things that Ryan does with the ball, we don't do enough justice to his game. He does a really good job without the ball as well which surprised me, because I know him from the Dutch league, but I think Bayern and Jurgen did a good job making him better without the ball and that's what we are taking the benefits of right now."

Ryan Gravenberch
Gravenberch has produced his best under Arne Slot

His performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford showcased even more of Gravenberch's skillset as he drove through midfield and broke lines that way; this, in contrast, was more understated. In the Liverpool midfield, though, he was once again the pick of the bunch.

Two moments, in particular, told you everything you need to know about what he has quietly become very effective at doing: first, when he nipped in front of Jorgen Strand Larsen to win the ball back and launch a counter-attack — almost Fabinho-like in the way that he anticipated what was going to happen and then strode across to sort it out — and then when he spun away from three Wolves players in the second half before playing a successful pass through another two with his weaker foot.

Gravenberch was efficient and effective at the base of the Liverpool midfield and the numbers back that up. Like the Reds as a whole, he wasn't setting the pitch alight — but he got the job done.

Still in September, it comes with the usual disclaimer of it being early in the season. That is true, of course, but as the sample size continues to grow larger, there are no signs of a Gravenberch drop-off.