Under the brilliant lights of Anfield on Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain’s early goal in a 1-0 victory sent Liverpool reeling out of the Champions League, and supporters are starting to turn on one of Arne Slot’s favourite players.
All of Liverpool’s hard work from the first leg appeared to be undone when PSG, under the leadership of Luis Enrique, defeated them via a penalty shootout after a defensive blunder allowed Ousmane Dembele to add another goal to his 2024–25 total.
The Merseysiders will be dismayed by their early elimination from Europe’s top table, even though they are 15 points ahead of second-place Arsenal in the Premier League standings. Ryan Gravenberch is taking the brunt of the blame.
PSG vs. Gravenberch’s Concerning Display in Numbers
He only had 59 touches in 120 minutes.
It’s interesting to see that Slot, his countryman, has been the driving force behind his comeback. He was once a promising player at Ajax and Bayern Munich, but former manager Jurgen Klopp was unable to bring out the best in him. Now, Slot has him playing at his peak.
Gravenberch, who has played more than 3,000 minutes since the 2024–25 season began, started alongside Alexis Mac Allister against PSG. However, his record of winning 3/10 ground duels and surrendering possession 13 times indicates that he wasn’t at the races.
The 18-cap Netherlands international had only 59 touches in the full 120 minutes, which is far less than his PSG opponent Vitihna, yet he was successful in 84% (37/44) of his passes. Furthermore, his normally good dribbling was not at its best, as seen by his rate of 0% (0/2) and only half of his long balls (1/2) were accurate.
Despite the statistics, one issue with Gravenberch’s performance was how sluggish he appeared when covering gaps and following runners. Slot and his team frequently use the Liverpool engine room, and the fact that he rarely has a chance to relax is starting to show in the business end of things.
Supporters Ask Slot to Handle the Gravenberch Problem
“Gravenberch has been dozing off for several months.”
However, as noted on X, the glitzy relationship between Gravenberch and Slot has also started to generate problems. According to one fan, his lack of sleep encouraged Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves, the PSG midfielders, to go wild.
In the summer, we require a true six. Despite his greatness, Gravenberch receives an 8. The ease with which PSG can go through our midfield is evident from this game.
The Dutchman, who is considered to be among the top midfielders in world football, has been called “frustrating” to watch by another fan. “Watching Gravenberch in this team is really annoying. He seemed disoriented.
Another supporter of the Anfield-based team has expressed disapproval of the 22-year-old’s recent decline in performance, stating that he was “far too slow” against a young PSG midfield. The comment reads: “Gravenberch has been sleeping for a few months now, looks far too slow.”
