Liverpool star 'on course' to match Fabinho in his prime but can he keep it up?
Liverpool FC news: The Reds have been trying to find a successor for the Brazilian since he departed but have they already found him?
One developing success story for Liverpool so far is the emergence of Ryan Gravenberch as their defensive midfielder - a position which has been in question since the exit of Fabinho.
Hailed by his manager for his ‘outstanding’ performance against AC Milan during the week, his performances have been laudable and he has been the anchor next to Alexis Mac Allister. And yet, he was kept out of the starting eleven last season by Wataru Endo with Jurgen Klopp preferring his experience and positional maturity over the Dutchman but Arne Slot has reimagined his role - and it is currently paying dividends.
A failed transfer pursuit of Martin Zubimendi has since opened the door for Gravenberch and he’s grabbed the opportunity with both hands, seizing that role and making it his own. Fabinho was the lynchpin for Klopp in that position and a more natural ‘number six’ - he couldn’t play more advanced like Gravenberch - but it is interesting to compare the figures from the Brazilian’s ‘best season’ for the club to what we’ve seen so far from the ex-Ajax and Bayern Munich star.
The 2019/20 title-winning season for Liverpool was Fabinho’s best year for the club and he was instrumental in helping them go after teams as he maintained balance and gave them that security. If Gravenberch is to truly embody that role, he’ll have to mirror the influence that his predecessor had on Klopp’s side. It has been a case of so far, so good but how do the two compare?
Looking at Gravenberch’s first four games compared to Fabinho’s 28 appearances in that 19/20 campaign, he has more tackles, almost double the amount of interceptions, a far lower dribbled past figure (0.5 - 1.5) and slightly more clearances per game. A small sample, size - certainly - but he has gone about his business with a certain avidity and maintaining this level of form could be key to a title charge or trophy success. He also has the edge on ground duels, total duels and aerial duels won which further emphasises his brilliant start to the season.
Their passing figures are extremely close but Fabinho has the edge on key passes, with 0.7 to Gravenberch’s 0.3 - having that extra quality from deep will help Liverpool break down teams and it is something that he will need to improve as he managed a lower figure (0.6) last season while playing more advanced.
How can we interpret those figures? Well, if he can maintain these levels across 30 or more games then it will mean Liverpool will have more control of games and more possession and more domination - which should result in more opportunities to win games. The real test for Gravenberch comes in those big games: Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham.
He’s already passed the Manchester United and AC Milan test but there will be far greater ones to come. At the end of the season, it’ll be interesting to see if he has maintained those levels and whether we can officially say Liverpool have found their Fabinho replacement; it’s certainly been a promising start.