There aren’t many teams in Europe’s top five leagues that dominate games and possession to the same extent as Liverpool. The percentage of total passes attempted by the Reds in their league games last season was lower than in the previous four seasons, but the Reds’ ball possession rate, at 60.8%, remained the sixth highest in England , in France, Germany, Italy or Spain.
That’s much lower after four games in the 2023/24 season, but the fact that these are the fifth toughest fixtures in the division (based on opponents’ expected finishing positions), playing around 94 minutes with 10 players inevitably hurts data. More relevant are the teams that overtook Liverpool in possession last season, in ascending order: Real Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester City.
That is four clubs winners of their respective championship and a vice-champion. With long-time French champions Paris Saint-Germain just behind the Reds in the standings, the Premier League’s fifth-best club, Liverpool, was surrounded by teams that performed far better than they did in 2022/23. Any player who makes a defensive shift for these clubs should be able to do similar for Jurgen Klopp.
Last season, Gravenberch won the ball in this way 6.0 times per 90 minutes in the middle third of the pitch, more often than any of his colleagues – for comparison: Joshua Kimmich was next with 4.8 per 90 minutes. Despite having less possession than Bayern and therefore more opportunities to win the ball back, no Liverpool player exceeded 4.1 per 90 in 2022/23.
You might be thinking, ‘So what?’ The Reds’ midfield was so underperforming last season that it’s hardly surprising that a player could outperform it in this way.
But looking again at the Fotmob data, we see that no Liverpool player has averaged a mid-third recovery per 90 in the seven seasons they keep their stats for. There have only been five instances of 5.0 or higher, with Jordan Henderson being the best example in 2016/17 with an average rating of 5.4.
Gravenberch also recovered well in the final third by 90, increasing his average from 0.7 in his final year at Ajax to 0.8 at Bayern. Although there were instances of Liverpool midfielders scoring more records, the peak was only 1.1 per 90, an increase of around one in three full games.
Combine the numbers and you’ll find that no Liverpool player has completed more than six rallies in front of two-thirds of the pitch in the past seven seasons, while Gravenberch has done so aged just 20 and in a team with a higher score. average ball possession managed.
It certainly doesn’t prove he can be a force as a defensive midfielder in the Premier League, but it certainly suggests he deserves the opportunity to try out for the position should Klopp see fit.
