Liverpool’s season has been disappointing, but Arne Slott still has time to prevent it from becoming a disaster.
Retaining the Premier League title is quite out of reach and has been for some time, but Liverpool are in the middle of a dogfight for Champions League qualification and cannot afford to fumble.
But the slot will need its star player to get back into shape, and that will happen quickly. The Reds are well below par and, for all the flattery and deception, Ryan Gravenbirch’s decline in midfield is causing all kinds of problems.
Why Ryan Gravenbirch resigned
While he hasn’t had the dramatic decline of Greifenwerch’s Liverpool colleagues this season, it has undoubtedly had a bigger impact on the team’s overall fluency.
Liverpool analyst Sam McGuire suggested the tweaks to the Dutchman’s role had caused a “massive imbalance in Liverpool’s midfield”. He has more attacking license and his seven goal contributions in the league this season prove that.
But is Liverpool better off? Is Slot’s system firing on all cylinders? No, it’s not.
Last season, 23-year-old Grabenbert won the Premier League Young Player of the Year award. It was a well-deserved honor for a worthy champion.
However, there have been a lot of changes at Anfield Road and with the recent defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers highlighting the current midfield issues, it is clear that the slot side could use some variation in their deep midfield.
FFC Liverpool vs Wolves ratings | |
|---|---|
player | # |
(GK) Alison | 5/10 |
(RB) Jeremy Frimpong | 5/10 |
(CB)Ibrahima Konate | 6/10 |
(CB) Virgil van Dijk | 5/10 |
(LB) Milos Kerkes | 6/10 |
(CM) Ryan Gravenbirch | 4/10 |
(CM) Alexis Mac Allister | 6/10 |
(RW) Mohamed Salah | 6/10 |
(AM) Dominik Szoboszlai | 6/10 |
(LW) Kodi Gakpo | 4/10 |
(CF) Hugo Ticket | 5/10 |
How frustrating that Slott and sporting director Richard Hughes have already sold their Xabi Alonso-esque rivals.
Liverpool sell Alonso look-alike rival Grabenwerch
Liverpool’s midfield lacks the balance, fluidity and ferocity to shallowly imitate last year’s high level, with Grabenbirch at its epicenter.
But things might have been different if Slott had continued to have faith in Tyler Morton. Morton left for Lyon in France in a £15m deal last summer after failing to make any appearances. The England Under-21 international is rapidly proving himself to be a top talent and has become a regular starter at his new club.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig describes him as a “similar type of player” to Alonso, who certainly has the basic skill set to succeed. Quick and creative on the ball and combative against the flow of play, Morton went from strength to strength in Ligue 1.
Grabenbirch is clearly one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League, with perhaps a higher ceiling than Morton. However, there is a trick to applying it.
The Dutch player relies too much on lateral passes. In this season’s Premier League, he ranks in the bottom 13% of midfielders in the number of long ball attempts and in the bottom 6% in long ball success rate of 90%.
League comparison (2025/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per match) | graben birch | morton |
Match (start) | 27(27) | 21(21) |
the goal | 4 | 2 |
assist | 3 | 2 |
touch* | 71.6 | 67.3 |
Exact path* | 51.2 (90%) | 45.9 (88%) |
Opportunities created* | 0.9 | 1.2 |
Successful. dribble* | 0.9 (56%) | 0.5 (63%) |
Ball recovery rate* | 4.1 | 4.2 |
Tackle + Interception* | 3.1 | 2.6 |
Total number of duels (number of wins)* | 3.7 (58%) | 2.9 (58%) |
By comparison, Morton ranks much more favorably in these metrics, ranking in the top 10% for long balls/90 and in the top 22% for success rate.
Here we see that the heart of Liverpool’s problems lies right in the middle of the park. The slot system has become outdated, with the likes of Kodi Gakpo and Mohamed Salah unable to be effective on the wings and Graven Birch and Alexis Mac Allister unable to play with energy and dynamism in midfield.
The head coach has said he wants to see his team play expansive and entertaining games, but that’s not happening right now, and with each game week that passes, his concerns deepen and become a bigger crisis.
Morton would have at least offered some variation. The problem is that Gravenbirch is irreplaceable in his role as an anchor. No one can do it like him.
But when he is ineffective, as has been the case with many performances this season (the last of which was the loss to Wolves, where he was hooked at half-time), there is no plan B for Liverpool.
Morton would have been perfect in that regard. He brings a maestro-like quality that reflects Alonso’s previous form on Merseyside.
Is Morton a more naturally talented player than Graven Birch? Maybe not, Liverpool have a lot of talent in their ranks but not enough application.
In that regard, they made a big mistake in selling this homegrown prospect.
Better than Gakpo and Salah: Liverpool make £87m winger their top target
This season, all of Liverpool’s flaws were brutally exposed.
