The 3/10 Liverpool star who was as bad as Alisson & Van Dijk v Arsenal

Liverpool are a world-class squad brimming with world-class players, but every once in a while an erroneous performance blotches a performance like a stain, pervading the efforts like sludge in a stretch of water.

Arsenal played their game and they played it well, taking control and winning the key battles, flooding the play toward the Reds’ rearguard; Mikel Arteta’s side leapt on two Alisson errors to secure victory but Liverpool were incohesive, enervated, and their lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to two points after 23 matches.

Of course, imperious champions Manchester City stalk from behind and will go level with the second-placed Gunners with a victory at Brentford on Monday night. They will still have a game in hand.

Jurgen Klopp, just over one week on from his shock decision to step down at the end of the season, will be dismayed by the error-strewn display but perhaps more so by the lack of fluency that has been at the core of the success so far this season.

Making sweeping changes in the summer after a dour 2022/23 campaign, the esteemed German has masterminded a resurgence but today’s showing was reminiscent of last year’s struggles.

Alisson’s early save from Gabriel Martinelli was turned in by Bukayo Saka on the rebound; Martinelli made it 2-1 after the break following a dreadful communicative confusion between Alisson and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

Virgil van Dijk & Alisson suffer “dreadful mix-up”

Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes had turned into his own net before the break to hand Liverpool a lifeline, but parity restored proved to be nothing more than a stay of execution as the Merseyside outfit sculpted their downfall and dented their hopes of a second Premier League title under Klopp’s wing.

Van Dijk, so reliable in his defensive strength this season, failed to rid his defensive third of a hoofed ball and Alisson’s ungainly acrobatics allowed Martinelli an easy finish into an open net.

The Athletic’s James Pearce, no doubt perplexed by the calamity, remarked at the “dreadful mix-up” that Klopp’s side failed to recover from, Ibrahima Konate compounding the issues in the dying embers with a red card for two yellows, Leandro Trossard scoring from the bench minutes later.

As per Sofascore, Van Dijk still showcased many of his finest qualities, in the thick of the action after taking 106 touches, completing 89% of his passes, winning eight of his nine contested duels and making four clearances and two interceptions, but he suffered a lapse in a definitive moment and will need to ensure that such a mistake does not arise once more in a pivotal contest.

Similarly, Alisson was abject at the Emirates but has been Liverpool’s saviour on countless occasions this term; still boasting the Premier League’s best save percentage this season with 77.3%, the 31-year-old will rebound from this poor performance.

While such errors came at key moments, they should not detract from the fact that Liverpool’s overall effort was as flimsy as plywood and at the epicentre was Ryan Gravenberch, who endured a lifeless display in the engine room and did little to strengthen his claim for a starting berth in the biggest moments under Klopp.

Ryan Gravenberch’s performance against Arsenal

Gravenberch was handed a starting berth after Dominik Szoboszlai suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that ruled him out for much of January; the Hungarian was sidelined as a precaution.

While Gravenberch has many exciting talents as a multi-functional midfielder, he is not quite making it happen in Liverpool colours and was indeed at the core of Liverpool’s issues against Arsenal.

As per Sofascore, the £150k-per-week ace was hooked before the hour mark after taking just 24 touches, and while he completed 86% of his passes, Gravenberch failed to make a key pass.

Very much a ‘passenger’, his lack of defensive skill was among the biggest reasons behind Liverpool’s struggles and having been dribbled past once, Gravenberch failed to make a tackle, block or interception, also winning just four of his nine contested duels. It was unsurprising, therefore, to see him earn a shocking 3/10 match rating courtesy of the Liverpool Echo.

It would be unfair to heap the blame onto any one player and there is a good case that Gravenberch’s blushes would have been spared had his skipper and shot-stopper not conducted their duties to the basic, error-free standard.

Ryan Gravenberch’s season so far

Signed from Bayern Munich in a £34m deal back in August, there is no question that Gravenberch is a midfielder of high quality but he is yet to mesh the cogs together with the kind of constancy needed for Liverpool.

As per FBref, Gravenberch ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for progressive passes, the top 9% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for blocks per 90.

Considered to have a similar skill set to stars such as Jude Bellingham and Liverpool duo Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, Klopp’s desire to bring him to the club is understandable and at 21 years old he could yet be fashioned into a first-rate phenom, having been hailed as “unbelievable” by former Reds midfielder Didi Hamann.

But he will need to start bringing it all together and given that Thiago Alcantara made his anticipated return this afternoon after an interminable spell on the sidelines, Gravenberch must start combining his talent with application.

Arsenal might have defeated Liverpool to clutter the title race once again, but Klopp’s team have demonstrated their ability and resilience many times this term.