Gravenberch: The perfect fit

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12/11/2024 1960

In mid-April, Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, made a trip to the Netherlands to meet with Arne Slot.

During their dinner meeting, Hughes outlined the analytical process that led to Jurgen Klopp’s successor search. Slot shared his tactical vision and plans for team development, suggesting the possibility of using Ryan Gravenberch as a defensive midfielder instead of pursuing Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi.

Gravenberch, a product of the Amsterdam streets, joined the Ajax Academy at eight years old and quickly became a standout talent. He earned early recognition with the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy for the top academy prospect in 2018, followed by the Marco van Basten Trophy for best young player three years later.

Promising beginnings

Although many players from the Ajax Academy - such as Wesley Sneijder, Christian Eriksen, and Matthijs de Ligt - enjoyed successful senior careers, others like Aschraf El Mahdioui, Damon Mirani, and Aras Özbiliz saw their paths hindered by injuries or off-field struggles. The transition from academy talent to elite player was a difficult, unpredictable journey, even for Ajax’s highly regarded academy.

Gravenberch, though, seemed destined to break through effortlessly. By the age of 16, he became the youngest player in Ajax history to play minutes in the Eredivisie, surpassing Clarence Seedorf’s record. Just three days later, he made history again as Ajax’s youngest-ever goalscorer.

Gravenberch secured a place in the starting lineup with consistent and impactful performances, boasting a remarkable 91% dribbling success rate across 2.6 attempts per match. His playstyle blended technical skill, agility, and a keen sense of field awareness. While his defensive responsibilities were somewhat limited, he demonstrated remarkable forward drive, made crucial passes, and showed a combination of strength, technique, and tactical intelligence.

Gravenberch’s progress stalls

The challenge for a rapidly rising player like Gravenberch was the expectation of a continuous rise. While he showcased his potential in his first season with Ajax, he didn’t achieve the dominance that the Dutch football community anticipated in the following years. Though he became a leading figure in the league and an essential part of Ajax’s core, he never ascended to the global elite level expected by age 22.

This meant his departure from Ajax was met with a sense of anticlimax; he was sold to Bayern Munich for just €19 million, a sum that didn’t reflect the anticipated departure of one of the academy’s most promising talents.

At Bayern, Gravenberch found himself competing against significant talent. Bayern’s main focus was on acquiring a top defensive midfielder, a priority for coaches Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel. The team already featured players like Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller, and even Sadio Mané.

Because of this, Gravenberch made only 34 appearances across all competitions, amassing just over 900 minutes. Most of his time came off the bench without a consistent starting role.

Liverpool’s surprising offer

That’s why Liverpool’s unexpected €40 million offer surprised many, considering Gravenberch’s limited contributions during his first season at Bayern Munich.

Although still regarded as a highly promising talent, Liverpool’s decision to invest in Gravenberch raised questions about what qualities they saw in him that Bayern seemed to have missed.

Nevertheless, Liverpool didn’t have a well-defined plan for his role. Klopp initially tried Gravenberch as a central midfielder alongside Alexis Mac Allister, but later shifted him into a more supporting capacity. Wataru Endo took on the traditional defensive midfield role, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Mac Allister became key figures in the midfield.

Even Harvey Elliott saw more playing time than Gravenberch, who ultimately became more of a backup player rather than a core element of Klopp’s strategy.

Slot’s stroke of genius

From this perspective, Slot’s idea of positioning Gravenberch as a defensive midfielder around whom the team would be built was met with doubt.

Often, people would forget his age due to the high expectations placed on his early career. It wasn’t only fans, journalists, and the public who questioned him; Liverpool’s coaching team also had uncertainties and continued to explore other potential options for the defensive midfield role.

Slot gave Gravenberch his first opportunity in the season opener against Ipswich. In that match, Gravenberch showcased his abilities. He orchestrated attacks, gained ground on the field, and pierced through defensive lines. However, it was a low-pressure encounter where he wasn’t subjected to significant defensive tests.

There was a shared belief among Liverpool insiders that it would be good to wait a few months to see how Gravenberch would fare against tougher opponents. Those tougher opponents eventually appeared, and Gravenberch delivered remarkable performances.

Slot has placed Gravenberch in the starting lineup for all 14 Premier League matches and all five Champions League matches this season. The only game time Gravenberch missed was a substitution in the final 20 minutes against Newcastle. Apart from that, he has played every minute of every game.

Gravenberch: By the numbers

Examining his statistics helps explain why Slot can’t imagine his team without Gravenberch.

The 22-year-old has won 5.5% of duels with a 63% success rate, positioning him among the top five percent of defensive midfielders in Europe’s major leagues. He averaged 2.2 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, and 5.4 collected “unclaimed” balls per game, further ranking him in the top five percent across these categories.

Beyond these solid defensive numbers, Gravenberch brought in the offensive talent that many had always recognised.

He recorded an average of 73.8 touches of the ball per match, achieved an 89% passing accuracy rate, and delivered half of his passes on the opponent’s side of the field. He led the team in progressive passes and demonstrated exceptional dribbling efficiency, breaking defensive lines effortlessly and evading pressing defenses.

His only areas of slight weakness were long passes—decent but not standout—and yellow cards. In total, he accumulated four yellow cards in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.

A risk that paid off

Slot took a gamble on Gravenberch because few believed Gravenberch could fulfill the demanding role Slot had envisioned. Yet the Liverpool coach never hesitated, and Gravenberch justified his coach’s faith.

The necessity of a strong defensive midfielder is exemplified by teams like Manchester City, which relies on Rodri, and Real Madrid, which struggles without Toni Kroos. Barcelona has yet to fully recover from Sergi Busquets’ departure, and a significant part of Manchester United’s problems can be traced back to their defensive midfield deficiencies.

Today, the modern defensive midfielder—one who serves as the primary architect of attacks, dominates the field space, and defends it with authority—remains one of the rarest and most in-demand roles in global football markets.

Slot solved this challenge by repositioning Gravenberch into a role he mastered with dedication, no matter how demanding or challenging it proved to be.

Home team
Away team

Probability %

1X2

Pred

Correct score

Avg. goals

Weather conditions

Coef.

Score

Live
coef.

EPL

Liverpool Fulham 14/12/2024 16:00

483121

12-0

2 - 0

2.39

8°

-333

-333 +500 +650 no no no

FT

2 - 2(0 - 1)

-

- - -