Liverpool's opponents used to man-mark Mo Salah – now they go for Ryan Gravenberch

Telegraph

23-05-2025

Among his words of wisdom, Johan Cruyff once spoke about the double-edged sword of success.
'After you've won something, you're no longer 100 per cent, but 90 per cent,' he said.
'It's like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there's a little less gas inside.'
Liverpool 's Ryan Gravenberch could have been paraphrasing his illustrious compatriot when considering his club's next step after reaching the summit of Premier League champions.
'To arrive there is easier than to stay there,' he says.
It also sounds like a reassuring variation on the old boot-room quote attributed to the legendary Ronnie Moran: 'Winning the league for the first time is easy. Winning it again is the hard part.'
Liverpool realised this when they won the Premier League in 2020 as initial attempts to build on the success fell short.
But despite appearances as the players and staff took the notion of 'being on the beach' literally by partying in Ibiza and Dubai ahead of this weekend's trophy presentation and parade – Sunday's visit of FA Cup winners Crystal Palace could be dubbed El Intoxicatico – there is a sense of a club already advanced in their planning for the title defence with their transfer and tactical strategy.
Nobody embodies the evolution under Arne Slot more than Gravenberch, whose reinvention as a No 6 was the clearest point of separation from the Jürgen Klopp era.
As he reflected upon an exceptional 12 months, Gravenberch recognised the challenge of going from the hunters to being the hunted, and thinks the club have a trump card in their endeavour to defend the title.
The average age of Liverpool's regular midfield starters is under 25, meaning the most consistent central trio of this season has the capacity to get better and dominate for years.
'Oh, yeah, yeah. Hopefully,' he says. 'This is the first season that we did a good job. Hopefully, we can win more trophies together.
'We can improve in our playing style. Maybe [we were] a little bit too static at times. In the midfield we can change. For example, if I play with Alexis Mac Allister he can come into my position and I can go higher. Then it would be difficult to press us. That's one part we can improve on.'
The 23-year-old has already noted their rivals' response. It was once said the best way to stop Liverpool is by man-marking Mohamed Salah. Since January, opposition coaches have been trying to nullify Gravenberch, freeing Mac Allister, especially, to be more influential.
So, although the Dutchman has had fewer touches and successful passes per game in the second half of the season, he sees that trend as a compliment and a conundrum to solve.
'That was exactly the thing. Everything was also new for the opponents. Afterwards they knew how we played and then we had to try to find solutions,' he says.
'In the first half of the season everything went a little bit through me. After, for example, they target me but then the other midfielders become free so then pass to them and then to me. It was a little bit difficult also for me because you don't then get the ball as much as other team-mates [who] get it instead.
'I can improve in terms of goals and assists from that position. Also in terms of demanding the ball more during a game. Sometimes in a game there's like five minutes where I don't touch the ball. In that position you have to make the play happen.
'The defensive part was maybe where there was a question mark [when given the No 6 role]. The attacking part was good, but the defending part I had to learn in terms of the duels, sometimes not watching my man properly, but I think I made a lot of steps with that.'
Goals for the future
On the subject of attacking contributions, Gravenberch – who has not yet scored this season – is aiming to correct that in the final Premier League fixture.
'Yes, I know, I know,' he smiles. 'I had a conversation with Dominik [Szoboszlai] the other day before we played against Brighton. We were in the warm-up and I had some good finishes. He said: 'I have a feeling you will score today.' I said: 'Hopefully.' So hopefully against Crystal Palace I can.
'It's just the position [I play], because if the other two midfielders go, I can't. So I'm not often in the 18-yard box, but maybe against Crystal Palace. We will see.'
Having been uncertain of his best role, Gravenberch says he is now settled as being a No 6 for the rest of his career.
'I didn't play a lot in that position before but this season that position has made me who I am now. I am really looking forward to playing there now,' he says.
Fitness tips from compatriot Virgil van Dijk have improved his recovery and stamina, while Liverpool's sports science team including Dr Jon Power and Conall Murtagh have been credited for ensuring so many of Slot's first picks were ever present.
'Last season I didn't play a lot so I didn't recover really well. Maybe I wasn't really that professional about it,' admits Gravenberch.
'This season I've focused more on recovery; going to the sauna, to the ice baths. Virgil was a big part of that in terms of giving me advice. Just recover well, sleep good, eat good, those kind of things. To be honest it was really tough playing every single minute.'
What began with a pre-season phone call in which Slot invited Gravenberch to give the position a try has transformed the Dutchman into a key man for Liverpool, earning favourable comparisons with Toni Kroos and Patrick Vieira, and the favourite to be named the Premier League's young player of the season.
Gravenberch is conducting this interview having just unveiled a football pitch bearing his name, a Cruyff Court donation at the Anfield Community Centre courtesy of the Cruyff Foundation.
'If you had said this to me before the start of the season I wouldn't have believed you,' says Gravenberch. 'But everything we dreamed of came true.'
Liverpool may be bathed in red as the title celebrations are ramped up over the next few days, but they owe a debt to the brilliant orange of their Dutch masters.
'Everyone in Holland, if they look to England, supports Liverpool because of us,' says Gravenberch.