Why Liverpool signing who Jurgen Klopp was 'furious' at is struggling to impress

Ryan Gravenberch has failed to hit the heights of the other Liverpool midfield signings this season after six months of the campaign.

The Dutch midfielder, who signed for £34m in the summer, has made 28 appearances this season and has already played over 500 minutes more than he managed in his one year at Munich, justifying his decision to exit Germany.

Despite being a much-heralded player from his time developing at Ajax, he has had to compete with Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister which has restricted him to eight league starts. He was handed a rare start in a big game against Arsenal in which he struggled in central midfield.

Carragher opened up on Monday Night Football about the weekend's game and Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo's issues against the trio of Declan Rice, Jorginho and Martin Odegaard. “Jurgen Klopp mentioned it at the end of the game. He spoke about a triangle on this side,” Carragher explained. "Certainly the two players who came in, Gakpo and Gravenberch, they found it tough. The pressing just wasn’t at the right time, they were just getting cut open, as soon as they press, getting played around them, little touches, and before you know it, [Arsenal are] out.”

Klopp was also seen bellowing orders at Gravenberch in the Arsenal defeat, in footage that was revealed from Hawkeye, courtesy of Sky Sports, which showed Klopp’s fury for his lack of conviction in his pressing as Saka made it 1-0. That was only his second start in a 'big game' this season, having also played against Manchester United earlier in the season but he hasn't been a first choice.

The Arsenal performance saw no key passes, no shots and no tackles as he struggled to make an impact against a strong Arsenal side on the day. His figures surrounding total duels won (41%) ground duels (42%) are among the lowest in Liverpool's midfield and Gravenberch has failed to demonstrate his true strengths yet.

Previously, he has combined brilliant ball-carrying with strong technical qualities and a huge physical frame - all the attributes are certainly there. However, he's taking the time to settle and transition into a new side in which he is currently being drafted in and out of line-ups which also makes it harder to find his rhythm. A hectic fixture schedule will give him the chance to improve with regular minutes and he could yet play a big part in the success of their season.