NewsRyan Gravenberch reveals Arne Slot talks about midfield position

The Liverpool No.38 was deployed at the base of midfield in pre-season and continued to be so in last weekend’s Premier League opener at Ipswich Town.

Gravenberch impressed as the Reds claimed a 2-0 victory at Portman Road, with Slot’s men taking control after the break and scoring through Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.

Asked about his altered role in the XI currently, the Dutchman told Liverpoolfc.com: “I had a little chat with him [Slot] and he said I have to focus on the No.6 and No.8 positions.

“Now I play at No.6. In the past I played it as well so I know what I have to do. I’ve enjoyed playing there.

“It’s a little bit of a different system than we played last season, but I think everyone has adapted to it. Now we have to build it further and further. I think at the end we can be a really dominant team.”

Liverpool are back at Anfield this weekend for their first competitive home fixture of 2024-25, which sees Brentford make the visit to Merseyside.

They, too, delivered a winning start to the Premier League campaign, with Yoane Wissa’s second-half goal defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Gravenberch has plenty of anticipation for another opportunity to perform in front of his own supporters, while knowing the Reds will need to hit their levels again if they are to secure three more points.

“It is special,” he said of the first home fixture of a season. “Hopefully the weather is also good on Sunday! But to see the fans again, I’m really looking forward to it.

“We know where we stand. Brentford are a good team, they have a good team. In the Premier League there are no easy games, so we know it will be tough. But we’ll give everything and hopefully we can get the win.”