Arne Slot has had a brilliant start at Liverpool, guiding the club to Premier League glory in his debut season with the club.
Succeeding a legendary figure like Jurgen Klopp was never going to be easy, and few expected Slot to hit the ground running quite like this. Yet, he has defied all expectations with the remarkable impact he has made.
While there hasn’t been a drastic shift in playing style between the two managers, Slot’s brand of football feels noticeably calmer and more controlled.
He has also revitalised several players who had struggled to shine under Klopp—none more so than Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot hasn’t just improved the player’s performances—he has transformed him into one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders, with the Dutchman playing a pivotal role in Liverpool’s title win.
Arne Slot on how Ryan Gravenberch can improve his game
Slot admitted he initially had concerns about whether Gravenberch was defensively solid enough to play in the number six role—but those doubts quickly vanished once he saw him take on the position.
However, the Liverpool boss did point out an area where the midfielder could still improve, suggesting he could add a key ingredient to his game by learning from Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Slot said: “Ryan did came back one or two days earlier (from holidays) and that way he could play the Manchester United game in that position (number six) and I immediately liked it because he was so comfortable on the ball.
“I think if we look back if you watch this game back there’s one moment where we played the ball towards him and there was someone who tried to press him and he just used his body and the player didn’t see him back for a few seconds.
“So I immediately felt that that that would be a good asset to have and then we had to find out during the first games in the season if he was defensively strong enough.
“But he definitely was and I think he’s now one of the players that has the most interceptions and all these kind of things.
“He’s having all the ingredients to play in that position really well. Maybe what he could add to his game is maybe one or two touch play and find even more players in between the lines.
“Maybe he can learn from Virgil as an example because Virgil is for me our best player in that part, finding players in between the lines, but he’s he’s done great Ryan that’s for sure.”
Ryan Gravenberch incredible 2024/25 season with Liverpool in numbers
The Dutchman has established himself as one of the most important players in the Liverpool team, with performances that have got Gravenberch linked with a move to Real Madrid.
He is the only Liverpool player to have started every single game in the Premier League showing his importance to Arne Slot’s side.
Gravenberch has been one of the Premier League’s standout central midfielders in the 2024/25 season, leading the charts for interceptions (57), successful dribbles (36/39), and passes attempted (1,773).
He also ranks second for total possession won (182) and possession regained in the middle third (103), third for successful passes (1,583), and fourth for ball carry progress (2,385m)—highlighting his all-round dominance in midfield.
| Stats | Total | Rank |
| Interceptions | 57 | 1st |
| Successful dribbles | 36/39 | 1st |
| Most Passes attempted | 1773 | 1st |
| Successful passes | 1583 | 3rd |
| Possession won | 182 | 2nd |
| Possession won in middle 3rd | 103 | 2nd |
| Ball carry progress | 2385m | 4th |
Gravenberch’s performances have been described as ‘flawless’ by Van Dijk, who has recently lavished praise on his compatriot.
At just 22-years-old, he has already won the League title 5 times – thrice in Eredevise with Ajax, once with Bayern Munich, and now with Liverpool.
He has a massive future ahead of him and can only go on and become better from here.
