Ryan Gravenberch is experiencing his first dip in form in an outstanding season for Liverpool, but Arne Slot has described that as “completely normal.”
Beyond the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Gravenberch has been one of Liverpool’s top performers throughout Slot’s first campaign at Anfield.
The Dutch midfielder has made light of his switch to the No. 6 role following the failed pursuit of Martin Zubimendi, so much so that the position is no longer viewed as a transfer priority.
But in recent weeks he has been noticeably quieter, including against both Everton and Wolves – being substituted after an hour in the former – with a belief that he has been overused.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Man City on Sunday, Slot insisted he had no concerns over Gravenberch’s form and stressed that he has the potential to join an elite group.
“I think that is partly what it is,” he said when asked if his No. 38 simply could not be at his top level every game.
“There are only a few players in the world who can be a nine out of 10 every three days.
“If you look at his age, he might, might, might eventually belong to that group of players, those two or three or four that can do this.
“But he’s not there yet, which is completely normal.
“And it depends also on the playing style of the opponent, so if you play Everton or Wolves that’s a completely different game than when you play Villa.
“I liked him [against Villa] much more than I liked him against Everton, for example.
“So yeah, it’s not always as simple as the form of a player or how many games he played, but that’s nine out of 10 times the most easy reason to give instead of diving into it and looking at playing style and certain other things.”
The suggestion that Gravenberch may be less suited to certain games is interesting, particularly given Slot’s reluctance to start Wataru Endo instead.
• READ: I was wrong about Wataru Endo – and I think Arne Slot was too
Endo is yet to start a game in the Premier League under Slot and is not likely to do so against Man City on Sunday, but perhaps there is a growing understanding that he could be more effective in dogfights such as a Merseyside derby.
Faith will rightly remain in Gravenberch, though, with the 22-year-old undoubtedly a player of world-class potential.
