Arne Slot admitted he was very happy with the quality of Ryan Gravenberch’s performance against Bologna.
The former Feyenoord manager told TNT Sports that he’d congratulated his compatriot on another ‘big performance’ after Liverpool’s latest victory in the Champions League.
The Merseysiders secured a 2-0 win against the Serie A side – a result that sees the Premier League title hopefuls climb to fifth place in the standings with a six-point haul.
Make that eight wins in Slot’s first nine games in charge of the Merseyside-based giants. Not a bad start given the Dutchman has been tasked with filling talismanic former boss Jurgen Klopp’s shoes at Anfield.
The evidence available would indicate he’s excelling in the role so far.
Arne Slot was very happy with Ryan Gravenberch post-Bologna
The former AZ Alkmaar boss’ settling-in period will no doubt have been helped in no small part by the rejuvenation of Ryan Gravenberch at Liverpool.
“I was delighted with him. I don’t say that to players at half-time because there is still 45 minutes to go but I said after the game ‘again big performance’,” the 46-year-old told TNT Sports (via BBC Sports).
“Ryan was again outstanding today.”
Statistically speaking, it’s hard to argue with that viewpoint. The 22-year-old midfielder secured a final score of 7.1/10 for his troubles against Bologna, as ranked by Sofascore.
There was plenty to admire about his on-the-ball work, as he completed 91% of his passes (41/45) and supplied two key passes.
Gravenberch likewise can’t be accused of shirking his defensive obligations in the heart of midfield given he won 4/7 ground duels. However, one error led to a shot from the opposition on the night.
Could Ryan Gravenberch’s performance levels drop off after the international break?
It’s a fair question to ask of both the No.38 and his new boss, Arne Slot.
By the Liverpool coach’s own admission, the Reds have yet to face genuinely elite opposition, which has no doubt aided their strong start to the 2024/25 campaign.
“They look very, very good, of course! I still harp on about the No.6 issue. I think Gravenberch, for those types of games, might get found out,” Damien Delaney told Virgin Media Sport when discussing upcoming games against Chelsea and Arsenal after the international break.
“So that’s where, I don’t want to say they’re getting away with that, but it’s going nicely so far.”
Equally, of course, it would be remiss of any commentator to simply assume the Premier League leaders top the table entirely by fortune or with the aid of the fixture schedule.
The quality of the football on display – not to mention the consistency of Gravenberch’s performances this term – has been highly encouraging for the most part.
There are bigger challenges ahead, as Liverpool will no doubt soon discover when they face Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of a week later in October.
That said, you’d be hard-pressed to confidently back this Slot side, in rude form as it is, to crumble after the international break.
Judging by the Reds boss’ latest comments, he’s not concerned about Ryan Gravenberch faltering any time soon either.
