The mocked-up photo of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Jude Bellingham which often does the rounds in response to a trio of midfield targets opting to go elsewhere during the summer of 2023. A trend Martin Zubimendi followed when he decided to stay with Real Sociedad this summer.
But, as it turns out, Liverpool could have the last laugh after all.
Because a tidy, highly-technical triumvirate of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch is proving to be quite the midfield in itself.
Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC at Old Trafford on S...
Ryan Gravenberch from strength-to-strength at Liverpool
Arne Slot, since taking over from Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, is arguably getting more from Szoboszlai and Gravenberch in particular than his iconic predecessor did.
Gravenberch, especially, looks a different, altogether more fearsome beast.
While he operated largely as a number eight last term with Mac Allister a little more defensively-minded, the duo have swapped roles of late, Gravenberch excelling in the deep-lying playmaker role that had initially been earmarked for Zubimendi.
To think, not so long ago, some were wondering if Liverpool was actually the wrong club for the rangy midfielder.
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And this is Arne Slot to a tee, really.
Spend less time fretting about a problem – like failing to land another leading midfield target – and instead put your energy into finding a solution.
Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart once famously, or perhaps infamously, claimed that the potentially ‘world-class’ Gravenberch was sitting a few rungs higher up the footballing ladder than Real Madrid superstar Bellingham.
But while few will agree that the former finds himself at the same level as the latter these days, Van de Vaart beleives that Gravenberch’s flying start under fellow Dutchman Slot is vindication for the comments that attracted so much mockery.
“I once said that he is better than Jude Bellingham, and I was rightly laughed at,” Van der Vaart tells Studio Voetbal with a smile. “But I have to be honest and say that he is now showing things that make me think; ‘finally’!”
Arne Slot lauds Dutchman’s varied skillset
On Slot’s team sheet for every outing so far this term, Gravenberch is already 25 per cent towards matching his number of starts for the entirety of 2023/24.
The £34 million signing from Bayern Munich saved perhaps his best Liverpool display for Sunday’s thumping 3-0 win over arch rivals Manchester United, a performance which will go some way to earning him a place in the hearts of the Reds faithful.
“It’s because he has a coach who has confidence in him and who simply puts him in the field,” Van der Vaart adds when asked to explain the 22-year-old’s sudden burst of form.
“He was everywhere (at Old Trafford), including that first goal.”
Klopp would often prefer more of a destroyer-type midfielder in the number six role. Fabinho, for instance.
Slot’s more melodic, patient methods require a different sort of footballer, however. More of a distributor and a dictator than a destroyer rather than, say, a man United legend Paul Scholes suggested in former Fulham battleaxe Joao Palhinha.
And Gravenberch, a graduate of the fabled Ajax academy, is very much an Slot-style number six.
“His quality on the ball could be my first answer,” Slot said when asked why he decided to change Gravenberch’s position, via talkSPORT on YouTube. “Coming from the Netherlands, we all know how good he is with the ball. He can be a really important player for our build-up game.
“But what impressed me most when I started working with him was how much he can run and still how good he is when he arrives in the duel.
“That’s the one thing that impressed me most about him, how good he is also without the ball.”
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