Will Ryan Gravenberch end Liverpool’s number 6 debate?

Big high-fives, handshakes and more and more appreciative tweets. If there is one player who stands out in this solid start to the Premier League season for Liverpool, it is Ryan Gravenberch, who has gone from fringe player to emerging force under Arne Slot.

Had Liverpool prevailed and signed Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this month, Gravenberch would have been wondering where he fit in at Anfield just 11 months after joining the club.

Since former manager Jürgen Klopp signed Gravenberch on deadline day last summer, the 22-year-old had failed to hold down a position in the team or show where he fits best. But after two games this season – and admittedly it’s only a small sample size, against two teams Liverpool were expected to beat in Ipswich Town and Brentford – Gravenberch looks at home in the defensive midfield role in Slots’ system.

He is quick on his feet, comfortable standing with his back to goal and can play in tight spaces – all specific requirements for a number 6 under slot.

There was frustration and disappointment when Zubimendi – who was seen as the perfect defensive midfielder for a new Liverpool team – decided to stay in Spain. However, rather than move on to another destination, Slot began to look for solutions at home and quickly realised that Gravenberch’s qualities were under-utilised.

The Dutch international will never be a combative tackler who throws himself into tackles and disrupts the game, but that is not what Slot is looking for either.

Instead, Liverpool’s head coach believes his No. 6 should have enough support around him to focus on a possession strategy with controlled but quick build-up play. The early signs are encouraging. Liverpool completed 92 percent of their passes against Brentford – a 20-year-old Premier League record for the club, with Slot insisting that “every pass counts,” especially at the stage where Gravenberch is now so influential.

The former FC Bayern Munich player completed the most full passes (72) and also contributed with a surprisingly strong defensive performance: he won the most tackles (three) and had the most ball recoveries (nine).

Despite receiving an early yellow card, he stayed on the pitch for 91 minutes, underlining his growing influence. “It’s nice to take over a team and such special individual players,” says Slot.

But can Gravenberch be the long-term answer to a position that has sparked so much debate?

Liverpool’s most striking moves take place when Gravenberch has the ball.

He is calm, but he doesn’t touch the ball too often. The nice little flicks and quick throws have the biggest impact. It is in this position – between the opposition lines – that he can be most destructive, even when surrounded by opponents.

Gravenberch also constantly allows his defensive teammates to play balls and can then turn and launch attacks.

He swings his hips to glide away from his opponents, like in this moment against Brentford. The image below shows the position he takes between the lines to receive the ball from Virgil van Dijk. When he receives it, he can go either way and keep the game moving.

Only Southampton’s Flynn Downes and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne have made more passes this season than Gravenberch’s 122. You might think that his team-mate Alexis MacAllister would also have excelled if he had been deployed in central midfield, but the idea was also to give the Argentine more freedom in advanced positions.

Gravenberch’s playing style is slightly different, but he drops his shoulder just as effectively and plays freely with both feet, which is how he often started attacks in the first two games.

He’s not quite as pressure-resistant as Manchester City’s Rodri, but Slot has enough room to maneuver. Gravenberch’s nine ball recoveries were also higher than the average for all Liverpool players last season, which is a step in the right direction.

There will be tougher tests to come and only then will Liverpool know if Gravenberch is in the starting eleven for that role long-term. This was always a concern last season when Klopp left out Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia and instead opted for a stopgap solution in Wataru Endo. Without a world-class defensive midfielder, it was much harder to compete in the title race with Manchester City and Arsenal.

City and Arsenal’s early performances this season show the importance of having a standout number six at their best. City sat high in the first game to close off Chelsea’s passing lanes and Arsenal didn’t give Aston Villa as much space in the build-up play on Sunday. Liverpool have never faced so much resistance from top-class opponents so Gravenberch, as good as he has been, needs to play in that position for a bit longer before he can be properly judged.

Slot’s game intelligence will come in handy. He has already shown he can spot problems quickly and find solutions, most notably when he replaced Jarell Quansah with Ibrahima Konate at half-time at Ipswich because the 21-year-old centre-back had lost too many defensive duels.

There was also a big change in Gravenberch’s role between the first two games, especially when Liverpool attacked from a corner.

Against Ipswich, Gravenberch was told to stand in front of the goalkeeper, an instruction he followed at every set piece. This left Liverpool outnumbered on Ipswich’s counterattacks and the promoted team enjoyed great success in the first half, particularly after winning first touch on five of their nine corners.

Here you can see where Gravenberch starts, almost on the toes of goalkeeper Christian Walton.

…and how here he struggles to get back into defence after an earlier corner as Ipswich break through.

But look at the difference compared to Brentford.

This is Gravenberch’s starting position after the first corner. He is furthest back, well behind MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai, and well positioned to fend off a counterattack.

When Brentford clear the ball from a corner, you can see that Gravenberch is in a better position to save.

It was a crucial change and just another part of the evolution of Gravenberch in those early days as part of the slot machine, albeit through a bit of trial and error.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)