If Guehi or someone else arrives, it’s not difficult to imagine that Konate would for now remain in the team. A player can also wait for his chance to prove himself. Be it through rotation, another (cup) competition or a player (unfortunately) missing. Konate didn’t just walk in the team when he signed. But he won himself a place in Paris ahead of Matip and gradually displaced him. Countless other examples.
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Grav was excellent at CB against Leao won most of his duels against him and was also excellent on the ball.
Still prefer him as a 6 but I have no issues if he drops into a CB position.
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Riera was actually good when he played, if he had a bit more pace he would have been unstoppable!
Gravenberch would be wasting his talents at CB. The only reason for him to feature there is in case of emergency.
Besides, there’s no way to tell if he’d actually be good at it. Pre-season friendlies don’t exactly carry a lot of weight. A new CB is non-negotiable, we need one a lot more than another forward.
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Read the last part of my post.
No one is wasted if they make our starting 11 and if Grav is needed at CB then that is the managers choice.
Also, with Grav at CB he can help against teams that press as he is better in possession and more comfortable being pressured than the other alternatives.
Considering our options in midfield, I don’t want Gravenberch to be moved from that zone. The depth behind Gravenberch and Mac Allister isn’t great. Jones is probably 3rd choice there, Endo is limited and Szobo would first have to prove himself, if he is also to be used deeper for the first time.
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Gravenberch is a midfielder. The notion of using him at CB is as wild as Hendo/Fabinho being utilised in that position.
Mid game changes may see him dropping deep, but thats a reaction to a particular situation in the match.
With our current CB situation, we need one decent signing and faith in someone from the academy folliwing Quansah’s pathway.
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Amazing how we pidgeon hole players, who thought Grav would be a revelation in the 6 role, we all thought he was more of an AM who was a bit soft and didn’t like the dirty defensive side of the game.
Well that’s what I thought.
My view of Grav is that he has the tools, quality and physical attributes to play numerous positions, but 6 is where I like him the most.
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Nobody us pigeonholing any player.
You have your view on Gravenberch as CB, I disagree. I really doubt we are signing Wirtz, Ekitike and maybe Isak, and resorting to playing a midfielder out of position beside VVD or Konate.
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Gravenberch at CB shouldn’t be anything more than one of the really emergency options, if we are forced to do it through multiple injuries among our first 4 CB’s. Nobody is saying evolution and players learning new position isn’t possible. But it’s unlikely that Gravenberch will have enough time or that there will be enough willingness from the coaching staff and him to push for playing more at CB in order for him to become comfortable there. Slot said after Milan that he is a midfielder, either a #6 or #8 and that we prefer him at #6. Flexibility is great, but there is a point where you don’t want to rely on too much of it. Our player quality and squad size need to reflect our goals, this is a Liverpool side that wants to compete and win on multiple fronts. As Billy Hogan said a few days ago, we are one of the world’s biggest clubs and want to act like one. That doesn’t mean only splashing the cash for Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak, but making sure that we don’t enter the new season with a 34-year old Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate with less than a year on his deal, Joe ‘flip the coin if he’s healthy’ Gomez and “let’s just move Gravenberch to CB”.
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Grav, as Quicksand said, has been used by Slot mid game on a few occasions in a tactical role as a hybrid CB/CM role, especially when we are chasing a goal with extra attackers on the pitch as he can then switch between roles and provides us with better quality on the ball compared to Ibou who’s CB role he has taken.
The other time he has slotted in the duel role is when we have gone down to 10 men.
Because he was sent off 
When Robbo got sent off?
Gravy
Always with chips and vinegar
Gravenberch is a #8 who’s playing in a deeper position.
We don’t use the traditional 6 anymore (not in our first team). Endo comes in and does a job when needed to see off matches. But none of the two in the midfield are #6s.
Macca is someone who fits in anywhere.
I don’t know whether we need a pure 6. But I suppose that’s the last on our wish list now. We need defensive reinforcements in CB first. People might be happy with 1 but I’d like 2 in this window itself (considering the unreliability of Gomez). Unfortunately we don’t have any one in the youth system who can make the step up which forces us to go into the transfer market.
I hope the club sees how Bajcetic is shaping up this year and retains him as someone who can be a backup CB/CDM. Absolutely as a last resort types.
Getting Guehi and then having Bajcetic on standby for a year might get us through this year.
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Was Endo used as a CB in the friendlies?
Endo was ruled out with Illness in the match in hongkong.
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Whether we call it traditional, pure, proper, false, defensive destroying, deep lying playmaking, whatever… Slot refers to Gravenberch as our #6. That doesn’t mean he’s our Fabinho. We mostly play double-pivot, but they’re not equal. Not in their qualities and not in the way they’re used.
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Grav can slot into a 3 man CB role in transitions when the club is attacking with both wingbacks up to prevent the counters. But in no way is he equipped to be defending as a CB. He shouldn’t be . We lose a lot of what makes Grav good when he is playing as a CB.