Ryan Gravenberch, it’s fair to say, is beginning to find his groove at Liverpool.
The Dutch international delivered a quality first-half showing under the lights at Anfield, proving to be an outstanding midfield general as Jurgen Klopp’s men went into the changing rooms with a 3-1 lead.
As the stats shared on X (formerly Twitter) by WhoScored.com serve to illustrate, the ex-Bayern Munich employee has very much been a key part of the Reds gaining control in the first 45 in their Europea League tie with Toulouse.
🇳🇱 Ryan Gravenberch’s first half vs Toulouse:
🔐 3 key passes
🏹 1 shot
🦶 31 touches
🎯 95.2% pass success rate
🤤 1 successful dribble
☄️ 1 accurate long ball
💪 2 tackles won
🙋♂️ 4 ball recoveries pic.twitter.com/ztZCcqtTaO— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 26, 2023
It follows on nicely from what was a highly encouraging first-half performance in the Merseyside derby, with our No.38 filling in for the suspended Curtis Jones on the left of the midfield.
Forget benching Gravenberch – he’s here to stay!
Spare a thought for Jurgen Klopp watching this performance and realising that there’s no way he can justify benching Gravenberch, even once our suspended Englishman becomes available for league duty once more.
Whilst we’re at it – spare a dozen more for Thomas Tuchel and those wise, WISE sages at Bayern Munich who remarkably allowed a player of the 21-year-old’s ability to slip through their fingers.
System or no, they’re going to find it incredibly hard to justify that call in even a year’s time if our latest signing can build on his recent form.