Liverpool were back in action on Tuesday evening for the first time since their 3-3 draw with Newcastle last week.
The Merseyside Derby was postponed at the weekend, and, in some ways, that added more pressure as Liverpool had to stew on their late dropped points at St James’ Park.
Liverpool got back to winning ways against Girona in the Champions League with a 1-0 win away from home to extend their winning run in Europe.
Alisson Becker earned plenty of praise for his performance after his return from injury, but speaking on the Official Liverpool Podcast, Phil Thompson reserved some further praise for Ryan Gravenberch.
Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Liverpool FC at Molineux on September 28, 202...
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Phil Thompson hails Ryan Gravenberch
The pundit spoke highly of Gravenberch.
Thompson says that he was actually worried about Gravenberch after the Newcastle game, claiming that the midfielder looked tired in that clash.
However, he noted that the Dutchman was back to his best on Tuesday.
“But there was a lot of plus points from other players rather than just Ali, who’s come back. You look at those other players and you’re going, oh, you know, it’s good to get this game and get that little bit of confidence back, because you worried for Ryan,” Thompson said.
“I don’t know about you, Tom, but I was worried for Ryan. After that game against Newcastle, he looked tired. And today he was back to his best.”
Ryan Gravenberch Newcastle performance compared to Girona
Thompson says that Gravenberch looked better against Girona than he did against Newcastle, and the stats back that up.
Indeed, Gravenberch was way more effective against Girona than he was against the Magpies, as he was making more tackles, breaking up the play effectively.
Ryan Gravenberch vs Newcastle Ryan Gravenberch vs Girona
Tackles 0 3
Interceptions 4 2
Blocks 1 2
Key passes 0 1
Dribbles 0 1
Given that Girona are a Champions League side, there’s also a case to make that the Spanish outfit are tougher opponents than Eddie Howe’s side right now.
After all, Newcastle do sit 12th in the Premier League.
Gravenberch has been compared to Patrick Vieira this season due to his good performances, and that comparison was very apt on Tuesday evening.
The 1-0 win away at Girona was far from a vintage performance, let’s be honest, but Gravenberch returned to form in this game, and hopefully, he can carry that into the game against Fulham this weekend.
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