Arne Slot left shocked by speed of Liverpool transformation former Real Madrid star predicted

Arne Slot left shocked by speed of Liverpool transformation former Real Madrid star predicted

Ryan Gravenberch adaptation into one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League has been key to Liverpool's title triumph

Arne Slot (right) has helped transform the Liverpool career of Ryan Gravenberch (right) (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images )

It was back in August last year when Ryan Gravenberch, casually perched on the steps inside Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre in Kirkby while fielding questions from journalists, was asked if he had been scouring the internet to learn tips from the great defensive midfielders. The Dutchman paused for a moment before a trademark grin spread across his face.

“If I am honest… not really!” came the reply, prompting laughter from everyone.

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There was good reason for such an enquiry, though. Gravenberch, having spent his first season at Liverpool operating in a variety of attacking midfield roles, had recently been transformed by Arne Slot into part of a double pivot at the base of the new head coach's engine room.

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Given the Reds had failed in their attempt to recruit Spain Euro 2024 winner Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad earlier in the month, it was a change perhaps as much through necessity as design.

But the subtle tactical shift of Slot away from Jurgen Klopp’s tried-and-trusted 4-3-3 approach to 4-2-3-1 also offered Gravenberch a chance to stake his claim for a regular role having previously been in and out of the team.

The 22-year-old, though, could not have expected the chance that fell his way when, after brief exposure in the role during pre-season preparations, he started in the position alongside Alexis Mac Allister for the Premier League opener at Ipswich Town.

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Gravenberch grabbed the opportunity with both hands. His performance in the 3-0 win at Manchester United was an early calling card in September, with another impressive outing later in the same month in the Champions League at AC Milan.

With his use of the ball and ability to turn away from opponents, along with significant physical strength, Gravenberch appeared a natural in the position. Not that he spent too much time grilling his team-mates over his new position.

“Also not really!” he said. “But I spoke to Macca and also (Wataru) Endo about what they do, anticipating where the ball can come, just some little chats.”

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While Endo, a regular for much of last season, was restricted to a succession of impact substitute appearances – essentially becoming Liverpool’s new version of ace game-closer James Milner – Mac Allister and Gravenberch emerged as a key partnership in the Reds’ winning a second Premier League title in five years, with Slot preferring a more possession-based, controlled game in comparison to the occasional chaos under Klopp.

When confirmed as new Liverpool boss early last summer, Slot made a point of phoning each of his players to map out his vision, both collectively and individually. And Gravenberch was told to concentrate not only on the number eight position, but also that of number six.

“When I played at Ajax I also played this role, not a lot, so I knew a little bit of what I had to do,” he said. “The manager showed me a few clips, and I had chats with (Liverpool assistant coach) John Heitinga – I had him at Ajax so he knows me really well – about good positioning, where the ball can come and also about attacking-wise where I have to stand."

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But the speed at which Gravenberch adapted to his increased defensive responsibilities was unexpected even for the Liverpool boss. “To be completely honest, that surprised me even a bit because I know him from the Dutch league,” said Slot. “But I think at Bayern Munich and Jurgen did a real good job to make him also better without the ball, and that’s what we are taking the benefits of now.

“If you look at all the signings the club has made, most players were aged under 24, 25. You expect players at 22, 23 in this environment to progress.

“So it’s not that big a surprise that if you bring qualities like Gravenberch has, you start to work with him, have the right programme and he has the team-mates he has, that he progresses. That’s what we’re seeing.”

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One observer who had already spotted the potential of a change for Gravenberch was former Real Madrid and Holland star Rafael van der Vaart.

“I advise Ryan to opt for a role as a defensive midfielder,” he said back in June last year. “You can compare it with Nigel de Jong in the past. Nigel could do much more than the subservient controller he eventually became. But in that specific role, he reached an absolute top level.

“Nigel decided he was going to be a pit bull, and that’s it. Ryan is also very versatile and I recommend him to make a similar choice, in a role like Patrick Vieira once played at Arsenal and France.”

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Indeed, Gravenberch’s performances for Liverpool this season have marked him out as one of most improved players and best midfielders in the Premier League. By mid-January, his number of starts had surpassed his total for the previous two campaigns combined, with his display in the 2-0 win at Bournemouth in February another standout.

The Holland international was one of three players – Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk the others – to start every Premier League game on the way to the title being secured. Indeed, Moises Caicedo of Chelsea was at that point the only central midfielder to have played more minutes in the competition during the season.

And there was undoubtedly an understandable dip in Gravenberch’s performance before the international break as the demands of English football and the Champions League took a toll.

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“It's really tough as well,” he admitted in April. “Last season I didn't play a lot and now I played almost every single game. It's tough but I still keep going.

“My game has developed a lot this season. At the beginning of the new season I had to adapt to the new position, I didn't play a lot there (beforehand) but now I know what I have to do. The manager also fully trusted me there so I'm really happy with that.

"When you play there you receive a lot of balls and that's what I needed, to be in my comfort (zone) and break through the lines and open up in the play.”

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Gravenberch also had to adapt to teams adjusting their tactics in an attempt to thwart him during the second half of the season.

“Now I don't get the ball as much, they (opponents) know how we play and they want to close the middle,” he explained. “It makes it a little bit difficult for me but I have to find the way through. That's what I do."

Arguably Gravenberch’s grounding for his new role came when kicking about with brother Danzell, also a professional footballer.

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“He's eight years older than me and when we were a bit older I would go with him to play on the streets,” said the midfielder. “Physically he is really bigger than me so it was difficult. He toughened me up to become stronger and, well, he was not holding back on me!”

And Danzell believes his younger sibling is now proving his critics wrong. “It feels like he got sporting revenge just by letting his feet do the talking,” he said. “That’s Ryan. They used to talk about his nonchalant attitude. But if you look at the distances he’s covered, you’ll see that he’s really not that nonchalant. Maybe it’s because of his smile.”

Now Gravenberch will be beaming even further. He is a Premier League title winner.

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