Midweek performance shows Gravenberch can fill Jones void in Liverpool midfield
"The best goal of my career so far!" A comment with a touch of sarcasm perhaps but Ryan Gravenberch had every right to feel elated at full time in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Union St.Gilloise on Thursday night. The Reds have endured a tumultous week. Their unbeaten Premier League run ended in contentious manner at Tottenham last weekend as they finished the game with nine men.
A very, very incorrect VAR call saw Luis Diaz's opener incorrectly chalked off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and matters off the pitch dominated pre-match procceedings ahead of their Europa League meeting with the Belgian side. And yet, Liverpool put in a professional performance in front of their own fans to make it two wins from two in the Europa League. The 2-0 scoreline flattered their Belgian counterparts, who were very much second best on Merseyside.
A standout performer, though, was Gravenberch. The Dutchman bagged his first Liverpool goal following his summer arrival from Bayern Munich shortly before the break, capitalising upon a Anthony Moris mistake to tuck into an empty net. Undoubtedly the easiest finish of his career to date, Gravenberch's all-round display on Thursday night stood out and he certainly deserved his standing ovation when he was withdrawn with 10 minutes of normal time still to play.
Gravenberch returned a WhoScored rating of 8.04 against Union St.Gilloise, that second to player of the match Ibrahima Konate (8.20). To go with his goal, the Dutchman made two key passes, two successful dribbles and two tackles. While a little wasteful in possession - Gravenberch found a teammate with just 80% of his 35 attempted passes - that can be down to rustiness. His playing minutes have been limited since leaving Ajax for Bayern back in 2022 after all.
Yet it was the ideal showing from the all-action midfielder, who put in a performance reminiscent of his Ajax days on Thursday night. Crucially is that this Europa League outing has come at the perfect time for both player and club. In what was a miserable Saturday evening in the capital, Liverpool also lost both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota to red cards at Tottenham last weekend, with the former set to serve the first of a three-game ban at Brighton on Sunday.
Jones has been a key cog in the Liverpool midfield since his return to the starting XI at the end of last season, and the Reds' unbeaten run coincided with the 22-year-old featuring in the midfield. Only Rodri (95.2%) has a better pass success rate of central midfielders than Jones (94.2%) in England's top tier this term, and his influence in Liverpool's impressive start to the campaign cannot be overstated.
There is no denying, then, that Liverpool will miss Jones in the middle of the park at the AMEX on Sunday, and the issue now is whether Jurgen Klopp elects to play it safer by bringing Wataru Endo into the fold to anchor the midfield and push former Brighton man Alexis Mac Allister to the left of the midfield three, or throw caution to the wind and use Gravenberch from the outset with the Argentine holding.
Given how well both Mac Allister and fellow summer arrival Dominik Szoboszlai have settled into their respective roles with Liverpool, Klopp would be reluctant to tinker too much with the system that has his side sitting just two points off top spot with seven games played. In this instance, then, Gravenberch would be the logical replacement for Jones in the middle of the park.
The Netherlands international may not be as refined on the ball as his English teammate, however he can carry out a number of duties both in and out of possession that means the Liverpool midfield would be incredibly difficult to break down and crucially allow the Reds to push forward at speed. Despite a lack of game time following his summer signing, Gravenberch could prove the key man in the middle of the park at the AMEX this weekend.
