Ryan Gravenberch on Liverpool success, fitting nickname and Arne Slot influence

Ryan Gravenberch played an integral role in Liverpool’s Premier League title win, with new manager Arne Slot using the 23-year-old midfielder in a more defensive role

Ryan Gravenberch has been ‘different gravy’ for Liverpool this season – which fits in perfectly with the nickname that’s been given to the Dutchman on international duty.

‘Gravie’ has enhanced his reputation in Holland for being a serial winner during his two seasons at Anfield, becoming Arne Slot’s midfield enforcer as the Reds were crowned Premier League champions after his debut campaign under Jurgen Klopp ended with a Carabao Cup medal.

The 23-year-old won three Eredivisie titles with Ajax, as well as two Dutch Cups, the Bundesliga and German Super Cup with Bayern Munich, and was part of the Holland Under-17s team that became European champions in 2018.

Gravenberch said: “The realisation about how much I have won so far isn’t quite there yet. Maybe it will come later. It all goes so fast. Of course, I know that winning the Premier League is one of the biggest prizes you can win.

“For the past four weeks, it has just been a big celebration. The celebrations and the bus ride were wonderful to experience. It has been a super great season and that makes me proud. The Premier League is the strongest league in the world. I showed myself to the world again and achieved my goals.”

It took Gravenberch time to find his place at Liverpool following his £33.7million arrival from Bayern. He had also struggled in his one and only season in the Bundesliga after moving to Germany from Ajax after breaking through at the Amsterdam club under the guidance of Erik ten Hag.

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The Dutchman made a respectable 21 Premier League starts under Klopp. Yet Slot’s bold decision to move him into a more defensive midfield berth immediately reaped dividends, with Gravenberch making 37 starts in 38 games as the Reds romped to the title.

Gravenberch said: “When the coach told me about where he wanted me to play, I just thought ‘when can I start?’ I knew I could do it, even though defensively I sometimes had my doubts. I do think I took a big step forward because it actually went naturally.

“From the first training session it went pretty well. As the season went on, opponents started to put a different pressure on us and closed us down through the middle. But that created space somewhere else. It was up to us to find the free players.

“How did I do that physically? Good question. It’s a matter of recovering well, where the people at Liverpool also deserve a big compliment. Football has become a running sport – running, running, running.

“The intensity is of course higher than before, especially in the Premier League. I have that by nature. I can run. But at Ajax, the emphasis in training was more on technique and positional play. In England, you have to run a lot more.”

Gravenberch hopes his emergence as a key performer at Anfield will enable his international career to flourish in a similar way. The Dutchman didn’t feature for a single minute during last summer’s Euros, when Holland reached the semi-finals before losing to England.

Gravenberch added: “That’s how it goes in football. What happened at the European Championships can happen – and then you have to move on. At Liverpool I was given the chance to become a base player and to show myself.

“That was my goal and I succeeded. But I still have no idea yet what my role will be exactly for the national team because the coach can go in different directions with me.

“I can play in all positions in midfield, but especially at ‘six’ and ‘eight’. I am curious to see what he chooses. Before at Ajax, I really wanted to play left-half, but now I don’t care anymore.”

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