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Ryan Gravenberch concedes he “really needed” time to adapt to English football and settle into the demands at Liverpool during his first season in 2023/24.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation for the Reds this season under Arne Slot, settling into the No. 6 role with ease in the wake of a topsy-turvy debut season at Anfield.
Gravenberch made 38 appearances last season in all competitions but only 21 were starts and he was in and out of the side, struggling to find consistency.
In a chat with Liverpool’s Walk On eMagazine, the Dutchman admitted he is a player who likes a “period to adapt,” and that was needed after swapping Bayern Munich for English football.
“The Premier League is quicker than German football,” the No. 38 explained. “It is more intense, both when you are in possession and when you are pressing.
“Counter-attacks are at speed and I think you get more time on the ball when you are in possession in the Bundesliga. You have to adapt here, but how quickly you adapt depends.
“Every player is different and, to be honest, I like a period to adapt.
“I wasn’t used to the Prem, of course, and I didn’t play a lot of football before I came here, but I had the time to adapt and I really needed it.
“It can take time to build relationships on the pitch and what I said, every player is different. I think if you train a lot with your teammates you adapt to them quicker, and adapt to the league quicker.”
Although he had a condensed pre-season this summer, Gravenberch has thrived from having a year to settle in and now Slot is reaping the rewards of a confident midfielder.
The 22-year-old is “really happy” with his countryman’s style of ‘killing the opposition with passes’, and it shows having been a Man of the Match contender in all six of his starts to date.
On his midfield role, Gravenberch added: “My role is the same as it was before the new coach came in.
“I think he sees me as a number six or a number eight and I think with Klopp it was the same, so it is not different.
“It doesn’t really matter a lot where I play. I have played for my whole life as a number eight, but when I play as a number six it is awesome.”
‘Awesome’ has been just one word for Gravenberch’s performances so far!
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