As Liverpool supporters, we know what difference the Anfield crowd can have, but hearing it from the players really brings home its impact.
Anfield isn’t always a cauldron of noise. While the atmosphere is always a notch above most grounds in the country, there is an ebb and flow that can leave the ground quiet at times.
However, when the fans need to step up, they almost always do, and it is something that players who come from abroad feel intensely on the pitch.
Ryan Gravenberch joined from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 and has spoken about how one game in particular this season brought home to him how important the fans are.
On LFC TV, he spoke about the effect of the fans, explaining: “It doesn’t matter what you do. If you make a tackle or you give a nice pass, you will hear like crazy stuff.
“You get energy. For example, the game against Brighton, the first half we were not that good you know. And then the second half, ahhh, the noise.
“For example, if you do pressing and you win the ball, wow.”
The Brighton match Gravenberch refers to came on November 2. That day, Liverpool overturned a 1-0 deficit at the break to win 2-1, thanks to two goals in two minutes from Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah.
It is moments like these, when the crowd and players whip up a storm, that make Anfield very difficult to deal with for opposition teams.
Gravenberch also used last season’s Carabao Cup final as an example of how the fans can benefit the players on the pitch.
“Again the fans, it was extra time and the fans, they did the Allez Allez Allez, and I think that gives the team, us, a boost,” the Dutchman added.
Ryan Gravenberch sings You’ll Never Walk Alone
You’ll Never Walk Alone makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, no matter how many times you experience it at Anfield.
Most players, focussed on the 90 minutes ahead, prefer to soak up the Kop in all its pre-match glory.
Gravenberch, though, admitted that he sometimes sings along.
He said: “You know when you hear You’ll Never Walk Alone? Sometimes I sing with them, you know, You’ll Never Walk Alone, when I’m on the pitch.”
Interviewer Rubi Deschamps then joked the cameras would be on him next time, so make sure to watch out for Gravenberch when the teams walk out at Anfield!
