A Massive Chance for Ryan Gravenberch

Throughout a typical Premier League season, there is a definite level of adversity that clubs inevitably have to overcome.

This could be a run of bad form, a managerial sacking, or misfortune on the injury front. Liverpool are currently dealing with the latter, as the injury bug comes on and bites the squad, at a critical juncture of the season.

However, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. In this case, numerous midfield injuries to the likes of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai open up opportunities for fringe midfielders such as Ryan Gravenberch, who has struggled to win over the Liverpool faithful in his first few months with the club.

From an objective standpoint, there is merit to the lack of trust Liverpool fans have placed in the former Ajax man.

A combination of defensive lapses, lack of discipline, and poor decision-making with the ball are the primary issues that have plagued Gravenberch throughout the season.

There are moments of brilliance sandwiched between the struggles, though, particularly earlier in the season, in which the young Dutchman performed brilliantly in both the Europa League Group stages and in the earlier League Cup rounds.

Lost in all the criticism as well is the fact that Gravenberch is only 21 years old. It's honestly incredible that there are certain sections of the fan base that are already writing him off, considering the improved play we've seen from fellow youngsters Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott after many years of both trying to find their footing.

The lack of a summer training camp plays into the Dutchman's struggles as well, as Jurgen Klopp's style of play isn't the easiest to be thrown into.

At the end of the day, I believe what Gravenberch's harshest critics fail to appreciate is the fact that the club is lucky enough to have a midfielder with such potential be arguably the club's sixth-choice in the position.

Obviously, he's a work in progress, with a lot of kinks to iron out before he can be called a first team regular.

However, given our current injuries, this is Gravenberch's chance to show his talent and worth to the squad. Let's get behind him and back him to pull through, starting with Luton Town this midweek!