Arne Slot’s faith in Ryan Gravenberch has paid dividends – (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
It was just over a year ago that Ryan Gravenberch joined Liverpool, unknown to anyone at the time that he’d go down as Jurgen Klopp’s final signing for the club.
The Dutch midfielder had a mixed first season in England, looking impressive in the Reds’ Europa League run during the autumn but at times struggling with the tempo and physicality of the Premier League.
However, having been entrusted with the number 6 role under Arne Slot after a summer in which no midfield signings were made, the 22-year-old has thrived in the early part of his compariot’s reign as head coach.
In this article, we analyse some of the statistical improvements that Gravenberch has already made in the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign. For competitive odds on how Liverpool might perform this season, take at look at what’s on offer from the best betting sites.
The Dutchman has been ever-present in Liverpool’s first three league games, accruing 540 minutes on the pitch already. That equates to 96/4% entire Bundesliga tally in his one unhappy season at Bayern Munich in 2022/23, and almost half of his Premier League game-time from last term (Transfermarkt).
As per figures from WhoScored, the 22-year-old has improved on several key performance metrics in the first few weeks of the new campaign from the averages he recorded in 2023/24.
His passing success has improved from 83.4% to 88.9% in the league, while he’s gone from making one tackle and 0.5 interceptions per game last season to 2.5 and 1.7 respectively this term. His averages for shots and key passes per match have lowered, but that can be attributed to him now playing in a deeper role.
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As per FBref, Gravenberch has already won as many tackles in this campaign as the entirety of 2023/24, while his rate of successful take-ons has climbed from 46% to 50%, and his tackling success has shot up from 41.4% to 66.7%.
Also, despite being deployed further back the pitch this season, he’s already made more passes into the final third (39) than in the whole of last term (35).
His increased game-time has undoubtedly helped to boost his averages, but looking beyond the numbers, the Dutchman looks more at home in a deeper role under Slot than he did in the number 8 position under Klopp.
The grace with which he receives the ball on the half-turn and the licence that he’s given to drive forward in possession is already making him a good fit for the brief that he’s been given by his new boss, and if he can build on his impressive start to the campaign, the clamour for Liverpool to sign a new defensive midfielder may dissipate.
Admittedly we’re drawing from a small sample size on which to make any definitive judgements about Gravenberch in his new-found role, but the early signs indicate that he’s set to be one of the standout success stories at Anfield this season.
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