Ryan Gravenberch is a top player, but one Chelsea star has given him plenty of problems.
Chelsea showed Liverpool what they were made of before the international break, leaving it late to hand the Reds a third straight defeat after a flawless start to the season.
Estevao Willian’s 96th-minute winner for Chelsea took the metaphorical roof off Stamford Bridge.
But he’s not the one getting plaudits from Liverpool’s Dutch maestro Gravenberch, who was asked about the best he’s faced in his career so far.
Ryan Gravenberch gives Moises Caicedo his due
Gravenberch and Chelsea star Moises Caicedo have been the standout midfielders in the Premier League since the former’s breakout last season.
But there’s a respect between the two that drove the Liverpool star to choose Caicedo along with Declan Rice as his toughest ever opponents.
Speaking to GQ, the Premier League’s current Young Player of the Season was happy to praise his fellow midfielders, saying: “I have to go for midfielders. Yes, Rice. Yes, Caicedo. He’s a really good player.”
Caicedo’s stunner against Liverpool was his third of the campaign, making him Chelsea’s top goalscorer in the league. Wednesday’s deflected strike against Ajax took him to four for the season, already more than he managed in two prior years at Chelsea. Crazy work for a defensive midfielder.
In the interest of fairness, Gravenberch has also started the season very well, at least before the run of losses that has unfortunately come to an end.
Moses Caicedo of Chelsea fouls Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Final
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Gravenberch and Caicedo linked forever
Funnily enough, both Gravenberch and Caicedo joined their respective clubs within a month of one another. The Ecuadorian was first priority for both teams during that window, but Chelsea were the ones to convince him to join for a fee in excess of £100 million.
Gravenberch was a rather surprising consolation prize for the reigning champions, but he only worked his way into the side after a season warming the bench at Anfield.
Now that he has taken that next step, the two are bound to be closely compared for the rest of their time as Premier League rivals.
There’s no denying that Liverpool got a great deal with Gravenberch, paying just £34 million to Bayern for his services. Though, if you offered Liverpool Caicedo in a swap deal at this moment in time, they might have a hard time saying no. Chelsea’s star midfielder is just that good.