Ryan GRAVENBERCH: 2024/25

First Name: Ryan
Surname: Gravenberch
Squad Number: 38
Position: Midfielder
D.O.B: 16.05.2002.
Town of Birth: Amsterdam
Country of Birth: Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch

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Ryan in our last 2 friendlies

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Could be a big season for the lad now that the Zubimendi deal is off.

Is it a massive leap of faith to think that he can play that DM role? He’s athletic enough and has immense technical ability but he started looking pretty timid as the last season went on.

What DM? Slot wants to start two CMs!

Arne will light the fire up his arse that wasn’t there before, not that Klopp couldn’t or wouldn’t but Arne comes across more of a guy who won’t go as nicey easy on the players. Technically he’s naturally very gifted, let the boy shine.

IMHO yes, but I would probably use him in preference alongside Mac over Endo or Jones tbh.

I wonder if he’s the sort of player who will really shine with a run of games, though. His career to date post-Ajax has been really sporadic, hard to find a rhythm.

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He’s like a new signing

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Funnily enough, when we signed him, people spoke how the double-pivot structure at Bayern didn’t suit him.

:joy:

Obviously there’s a lot more detail to it, different teams, etc. If we go mainly double-pivot, we do have players to do it, but having the right partnerships becomes more important.

We still see our “#10” dropping back in some phases of the game. Without the ball, he’s the one pressing highest along with our striker.

Now with all players back and season starting, we’ll see more what’s our idea in all phases of the game.

I think it will help playing alongside Mac, someone who is also pretty good at the defensive side and doesn’t shy away from the dirty work in midfield. Playing alongside a more offensively minded no8 and being expected to do all the defensive stuff probably wouldn’t work for him.

Another consideration is having Trent able to come inside when needed to provide an extra body in the centre.

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If we don’t like Endo being the deepest one of the two when we build up, we can try and do what Real did (especially against quality pressing teams) with Casemiro in that phase. Drop a more comfortable player, like in our case the likes of Mac, Jones or Gravenberch and build up with them having more responsibility. Move Endo a little bit higher. With us failing to sign Zubimendi and if we don’t sign an alternative, Endo then probably stays one more season as a backup body and in some games/periods of games when we need more that defensive bite and protection.

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Same could be said from Endo. Both will now surely stay on board, and will have the opportunity to show their qualities.

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The problem at Bayern is they didnt want to play that. They instead tried to accommodate not replacing Lewondowski with a real striker but cramming as many attackers into the team as possible leaving only room for only 1 real midfielder. Ryan, probably correctly, wasn’t trusted enough to do the work that single midfielder would have to do.

The role that appears there for the taking in this team is largely the role he played for Ajax when he broke through and while I get people using the term as a short hand, it is not a “DM” role like we have come to think of it.

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Could it perhaps be described as the Alonso?

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Excellent 1st game as our controlling midfielder, was so assured and kept us ticking over, if that was Zubi people would have been eugolising about him.

He is so comfortable at receiving the ball on the half turn away from the pressure and kept progressing the ball with vertical passes and dribbling/running with the ball.

There was one break in the 1st half where Ioswich broke 3 v 2 and Grav’s speed to recover to make in 3 v 3 was something I didn’t think he had. He now seems to be keen to do more of the dirty work than before, long may this continue

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One whatsit doesn’t make a thingy but he had a good game no argument. See how he does against the manure…actually that gives him an easy game. Someone decent then.

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Another fifty to hundred consecutive games like yesterday’s and club won’t have to spend big on a defensive midfielder!

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https://theanfieldnoise.com/t/liverpool-fc-pre-season/1946/3571?u=hephaestus

Said it before. I think he shares many common with Weiffer.

I’m personally super interested in seeing if Slot will mix it up with Endo getting his fair share of games when we need a defensively tighter midfielder. There will certainly be games against the heavy hitting teams where Gravy might not be the best choice.

How was Macca being used in our game? I am not a fan of him playing super defensively and it’s pretty obvious he enjoys having a bit more freedom to ‘conduct’ from midfield, like he was able to do at the tail end of last season.

I hope we can get away with Gravy and Endo being his partner for the entire season.