A Statistical Analysis of Ryan Gravenberch under Arne Slot

The Reds have been off to a flying start this season, winning 7 out of their 8 games played while only conceding 3 goals in the Premier League.

Many of the players have attributed this level of success to an extra emphasis on defense in practice, which seems to work well with the reserved playstyle of Arne Slot.

Others have attributed our success partially to the recent stellar performances from Ryan Gravenberch, who joined the club in 2023 and has 4 goals in 34 appearances for the Reds.

However, Gravenberch's contribution to the team comes in the form of his holding midfield presence. The Dutchman has been playing a pretty standard midfield role, remaining in the center of the pitch, albeit a little deeper, while occasionally shifting over to the side of play.

This season, Gravenberch has put in 16 tackles in the Premier League with an 81% tackle success rate, which is high for a midfielder who didn't tend to drop back as much as the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo prior to this season.

Slot likes to use him in his textbook double pivot role, usually paired with Szoboszlai who tends to push up higher and wider than Gravenberch.

In terms of his midfield duels, Gravenberch has won 63% of his 71 total duels, which further proves he is a force to be reckoned with outside of possession.

When Liverpool has the ball and is looking to attack, Gravenberch acts as the gel between the defense and the attackers, as he looks to work the ball out wide to either Luis Diaz or Mohamed Salah on one of the wings.

He has 515 passes in the Premier League this season, but only 1 cross. This statistic highlights the type of balls he tends to play through, which are typically on the ground directly at our offense so they can work it up themselves.

Surprisingly, this is also reinforced by the fact that he only has 3 through balls so far this season, which is low for a midfielder who's been starting in the Premier League.

He has also shown an affinity for carrying the ball and driving forward himself to unlock new passing and running lanes for the forwards to great success so far.

As a newly influential player, Gravenberch has gained the backing of Slot and become a key player, especially in terms of our defensive play. However, he is also key to formulating the build-up on attack that has led the Reds to top of the table at this point in the season.