If you’re taking part in for Liverpool and a membership legend in John Barnes is evaluating you to a legend of European soccer, you already know you’re doing so much proper.
Ryan Gravenberch has been one of many standout performers within the early weeks of Arne Slot’s reign because the Reds’ head coach, with the Dutchman excelling in a defensive midfield function after an up-and-down first 12 months at Anfield.
Talking on The Relaxation Is Soccer, ‘Digger’ steered that what the 22-year-old presents within the quantity 6 function is much like a sure Andrea Pirlo, who excelled in that place for a few years in his AC Milan days.
Barnes gushed: “Enjoying Ryan Gravenberch as a quantity 6 is a bit like taking part in Pirlo in a quantity 6 – a unique kind of participant however extra attacking, extra snug on the ball somewhat than a hardworking, troublesome, sturdy defensive midfield participant.”
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After years of watching Fabinho thrive as a destroyer on the base of Liverpool’s midfield, and Wataru Endo providing comparable qualities in that function final time period, Gravenberch is providing one thing completely different from that a part of the pitch beneath Slot.
The Netherlands worldwide isn’t in the identical strong, teak-tough mould as his aforementioned counterparts from Brazil and Japan, however the method by which he receives the ball on the half-turn and presents thrust along with his runs from deep makes him match within the quantity 6 berth for the Reds’ new-look strategy.
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Clearly the 22-year-old nonetheless has a protracted option to go earlier than cementing the legacy that Pirlo left on European soccer in his glittering taking part in days, however a sequence of sturdy shows for membership and nation in current weeks recommend that our quantity 38 may very well be within the early throes of a really career-changing season.
Gravenberch can nonetheless commendably carry out his duties off the ball – his match averages of two.7 tackles and a pair of.3 interceptions are the very best within the Liverpool squad for each merics thus far this time period (WhoScored) – so it seems that he’s hanging a really good steadiness in his new-found function at Anfield.
If he can go on to achieve the heights that the Milan and Italy legend loved, the Reds midfielder will grow to be a really particular participant certainly. We will’t wait to see his star ascend even additional over the following few months and years!
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