Ryan Gravenberch has already admitted to “feeling comfortable” playing for Liverpool under Arne Slot this season, as he picked up a man-of-the-match award against Wolves
Ryan Gravenberch has admitted to feeling more “comfortable” playing under Arne Slot at Liverpool this season.
The Dutch midfielder has been in great form for the Dutch manager, securing a man-of-the-match award in the Reds’ 2-1 win over Wolves at the weekend. This victory has put Liverpool at the top of the table above Manchester City and Arsenal, with just one loss in six Premier League games this year.
Gravenberch has made six successive starts this campaign, playing a much more pivotal role for Slot with Jurgen Klopp only handing him 12 Premier League appearances last campaign. Following the win on Saturday, the Dutch midfielder praised his compatriot for getting the best out of him and even confessed that he’s been feeling ‘even more comfortable’ on the pitch than he did last season under Klopp.
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When speaking to Trouw, the 22-year-old explained how he has enjoyed his football more this season. When asked why his form had improved, he said: “No, that’s all exaggerated. I’m the same Gravenberch. I sometimes had matches where I only touched the ball after five minutes [last season]. Then I don’t get into my game, I don’t get into my rhythm. This feels more comfortable to me.”
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He also credited Slot’s tactics for Liverpool’s fast start to the season in a separate interview with De Volkskrant.
“The coach knows that I have a lot of football in me,” He said. “He has a clear plan, with the build-up, with the pressing. It is up to me to maintain that and be consistent.
“He gave me the chance from the start. I had to focus on a certain position. A bit more defensive. I do my thing and that works out well. That has to do with myself and with the coach. There was clarity from the start. We play as a team, and then the individual also looks better.”
Speaking after the win over Wolves, the Netherlands international added: “This season I wanted to show myself again and I am really happy. He put me in the starting 11 and gave me a lot of confidence. I think a team like Liverpool always has to be in the top four.
“We keep pushing but it’s still really early. We knew this was always going to be difficult for us. I think after 20 or 25 minutes we did really well and we got the three points so I’m really happy with that.
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“We gave the equaliser away because of miscommunication. This can happen in football but it won’t happen again. We always try to push and we had a lot of chances. Maybe in the last phase of the game we could have scored one more.
“But at the end of the day we still won. I think we lost a lot of concentration, myself included. We won but we have to learn from what we missed today. We have to get better.”
Gravenberch will aim to continue his rich vein of form when Liverpool host Bologna in the Champions League this week – before a midday trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace at the weekend.
