Liverpool star explains struggles under Jurgen Klopp and what Arne Slot ‘saw’ that he didn’t
Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch has opened up on why he struggled under Jurgen Klopp compared to Arne Slot after his excellent start to the new season.
Gravenberch has played every minute of Liverpool’s perfect start to the season, with the Reds not conceding a single goal in wins over Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United.
The Dutch international has operated as a No.6 in Slot’s side having been in and out of the team as more of a box-to-box midfielder under his predecessor Klopp.
Gravenberch was particularly impressive in the 3-0 win over United and will hope to have a similar impact for the Netherlands in their Nations League games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Germany this week.
Speaking to the media ahead of those games, Gravenberch revealed he feels more “comfortable” playing under Slot as he gets on the ball far more frequently in his new role.
“There were sometimes matches in which I had only touched the ball once after five or six minutes,’ he told SoccerNews.nl. “Then you don’t get into your game.
“Now I get the ball more, then you get more comfortable. He just saw this. In the end it worked out well.
“Now it’s going well, so, yes, everyone is praising him [Slot].”
Gravenberch made just 12 starts in his debut campaign under Klopp but is convinced the new role suits him, and believes he can play a key role in helping Liverpool “be a really dominant team”.
“Now I play at No 6. In the past I played it as well so I know what I have to do. I’ve enjoyed playing there.
“It’s a little bit of a different system than we played last season, but I think everyone has adapted to it. Now we have to build it further and further.
“I think at the end we can be a really dominant team.”
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It remains to be seen whether he will be given a chance to show his worth to Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman in the upcoming games for his national side.
The 22-year-old was part of the Dutch squad at Euro 2024 but didn’t play a single minute in the competition and has played just one game for the Netherlands in the last two years.
One of the journalists in attendance at their pre-match press conference was full of praise for Gravenberch’s displays for Liverpool so far this term and Koeman said that the reason he’s not played under him has been due to a “lack of focus”.
Koeman said: “I have always seen the potential in him. But I believed he lacked focus, this is something that he had to improve and now it seems that he finally realises what is asked of him.”
