‘He has to keep producing…’ – Paul Merson urges one Liverpool player not to rest on his laurels
Paul Merson has praised one Liverpool player for an ‘outstanding’ start to the season but urged him to maintain those standards on a consistent basis.
Among the standout performers on the opening weeks of the campaign has been Ryan Gravenberch, who’s looked reinvigorated in a number 6 role under Arne Slot.
Previewing today’s match against Nottingham Forest in his latest Sportskeeda column, the Sky Sports pundit implored the 22-year-old to build upon his recent form, believing that he has the right teammates around him to facilitate that.
Merson wrote: “Ryan Gravenberch has been outstanding so far this season, but he has to keep producing these performances. When you’re a player like him, you also thrive due to the players in front of you, and he definitely has a dream front three in front of him at Liverpool.”
After an abortive year at Bayern Munich in 2022/23, Gravenberch had an up-and-down first season at Liverpool, showing flickers of promise but unable to establish himself in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
However, he’s excelled in a defensive midfield berth so far this term, posting the joint-highest average in the squad for tackles per game (2.7) and the highest for interceptions (2.3 per 90), while only two teammates have drawn more fouls than him (WhoScored).
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The 22-year-old also looked impressive for Netherlands over the international break, enabling him to go into the first hectic period of the campaign in flying form.
Liverpool have had a serene start to the season, but it when we come up against the Arsenals and Man Citys of this world that we’ll really see just how successful Gravenberch could be in the position where he’s thrived up to now.
The portents are very promising, though, and a fine performance against a strong Germany team in midweek offers real hope that he can excel against high-calibre opposition. Let’s hope he’s started this term as he means to go on!
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