There were very few places to hide across Anfield on Sunday evening. Walking out of Anfield after a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City is always a bitter pill to swallow, but doing so while listening to the away end celebrate on our turf after financial breach rulings made it border on nauseating.
Between a toothless frontline, sloppy moments in possession, and a harrowing 16-minute second-half collapse following an unwarranted red card, Kopites went home with a pit in their stomach. Yet, amid all the gloom and post-match discussions, Jamie Carragher pointed to one genuine silver lining that every Liverpool fan should hold onto: Ryan Gravenberch is back.
Well he was until referee Chris Kavanagh’s soft, over-eager second yellow card ruined the game just past the hour mark, Gravenberch looked like the dominant force that powered us to a Premier League title. And for those of us watching from the stands, seeing the Dutchman stride through midfield again offered an answer to the biggest problem staring Andoni Iraola in the face.
"The big bright spark" – The Gravenberch renaissance
Having struggled for rhythm early in Iraola’s tenure, Gravenberch was reintroduced to the engine room and delivered an imposing, Vieira-esque display before his premature dismissal. He was driving forward, breaking up play, and even forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a acrobatic save moments before his red card.
Speaking after the final whistle, Jamie Carragher highlighted Gravenberch's resurgence as the lone positive on an otherwise miserable afternoon:
"The big bright spot for me today was seeing Gravenberch back to the player I know he is and the player he's been for Liverpool for the last two years who was outstanding when he won a title," Carragher insisted.
"Now, he started really poorly under the new manager and been taken out the team. There's no way Florian Wirtz should be playing ahead of Gravenberch. He can open his legs, he can play, he can score goals, he gives you so much more. And there's got to be a rejig of that midfield because what Wirtz has given Liverpool right now is nowhere near enough."
Carragher’s point out what many of us have been whispering since August. While Gravenberch offered power, mobility, and ball-carrying thrust, Florian Wirtz once again drifted through a major fixture without leaving a single mark.
Wirtz under fire, Barcola gets a pass
With Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo missing through injury, Liverpool needed their big-money additions to step up. Instead, young academy talents Lewis Koumas and Victor Muñoz outshone players brought in for massive transfer fees.
Carragher didn't hold back on the contrast between Wirtz and new arrival Bradley Barcola:
"Liverpool have paid top dollar and they're getting nowhere near what they should be getting,"Carragher argued."I'm going to go back to Florian Wirtz because I was critical of them after the last game Liverpool played away at Bournemouth. Now, I was then criticised a little bit by Liverpool supporters for putting a negative stance on it.
Liverpool had won a game. Everyone was happy going into an international break. But what I did say almost feels like the last hope could Jürgen Klopp get his arm around him when he goes away with Germany? Now he played really well in the game under Klopp. Got a goal. Got an assist. Great. But he's come here today and I'm looking at the game as a Liverpool fan. I'm thinking no Isak, no Gakpo, our two best attackers this season. We need Barcola and Wirtz to really step up and help Muñoz. Help Koumas at the top end of the pitch. Koumas and Muñoz were better than the 200 million pound players. Now that can't be right. It's just not right."
What It means for Ryan Gravenberch going forward
The tragedy of Sunday's refereeing performance is that Gravenberch's soft red card which even Andoni Iraola slammed in his press conference "The first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card, never" means the midfielder will miss next weekend's trip to Brentford through suspension.
However, the bigger picture remains clear for Kopites.Gravenberch proved that when he plays with freedom and physicality, he gives this Liverpool side an athletic dynamic that no other midfielder can match.
While he serves his domestic ban at Brentford, expect Iraola to unleash Gravenberch in midweek when Liverpool take on LASK in the Champions League. If he builds on Sunday’s performance, the Dutchman isn't just back in favour he becomes the unshakeable foundation around which Iraola must rebuild this team.
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