Mohamed Salah is getting previous, however he is nonetheless right here and he is nonetheless thriving for Liverpool.
The long-time talisman turned 33 this summer season, and there is a sense that the overload of attacking signings this summer season have been accomplished with an eye fixed on the Egyptian getting into the ultimate stretch of his Premier League profession.
Final season, Salah took it on himself to win the Premier League, making merry underneath Arne Slot’s wing within the first yr since Jurgen Klopp stepped down and placing in a person marketing campaign for the ages, breaking any variety of information and posting 34 objectives and 23 assists throughout all competitions.
Now, issues are a bit totally different, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz signed for British-record charges in what may form the Reds’ frontline for a few years to return.
Occasions are altering down Anfield Highway, and although Salah continues to play a focal function within the mission, having scored three objectives and provided three assists already this time period, the load of duty is not so heavy.
And that is with out even acknowledging the emphatic early type of Hugo Ekitike, who’s giving Salah and Isak a run for his or her cash because the membership’s foremost man up prime.
Ekitike’s begin to life at Liverpool
Six video games, 4 objectives, one help. Not a foul solution to announce your self to the England recreation. Ekitike left Eintracht Frankfurt and signed for Liverpool in a deal rising to £79m in July, and he is been hailed for his “actually intelligent” play by Wayne Rooney, who is aware of a factor or two about scoring within the Premier League.
Isak got here off the bench for his league debut in a Liverpool shirt final outing, within the Merseyside derby, however Slot has fairly the conundrum on his palms because the ostensibly second-fiddle star continues to go from power to power.
There are, for certain, worse issues to have as a supervisor.
Towards the Toffees, Liverpool arguably performed their most interesting soccer of the season in that eventful first half, with the 23-year-old demonstrating his pure ease in jinking by the strains to latch onto the ball and information it into the web, previous Jordan Pickford.
Threading by the help for Ekitike’s newest purpose was Ryan Gravenberch, and whereas the French ahead has began the season in fantastic fettle, it’s the man within the center who has been the star of the present throughout the previous 5 weeks.
Gravenberch is turning into Liverpool’s finest participant
Martin Zubimendi is nearly three months into his Arsenal profession. The Spain worldwide joined the Gunners for £60m in the summertime and is considered a coup for Mikel Arteta’s facet. He is among the silkiest midfielders on the market.
Gravenberch walked throughout him at Anfield earlier this month, to make use of some sporting jargon, and all of it may’ve been so totally different, had Zubimendi accepted Liverpool’s proposal to signal him in 2024.
He did not, opting to stay with Actual Sociedad. It stang, let’s get that straight. Nonetheless, Gravenberch rose from mediocrity to kind the nucleus of beginner Slot’s engine room, having been utilised sporadically by Klopp beforehand.
Nonetheless solely 23, the Dutchman was instrumental in successful the Premier League final season, and he is solely gotten higher for the reason that summer season, it appears, with journalist Daniel Storey even remarking on the Completely Soccer Present that he is been “the very best participant within the nation” throughout these opening weeks, having scored, assisted and dominated in opposition to Everton on Saturday.
Gravenberch wasn’t at his crispest in possession, however that is solely as a result of he took it upon himself to make issues occur within the closing third, successful seven duels and making 5 tackles too.
The marketing campaign is younger, however Gravenberch has began with staggering model, wanting much more strong and full than final yr, when he stepped into the place meant for Zubimendi and made it his personal, topped the 2024/25 Hublot Younger Participant of the Season for his performances.
Ryan Gravenberch within the Prem underneath Arne Slot | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (* per recreation) | 24/25 | 25/26 |
Matches (begins) | 37 (37) | 4 (4) |
Targets | 0 | 2 |
Assists | 4 | 1 |
Touches* | 66.5 | 76.0 |
Go completion | 89% | 88% |
Key passes* | 0.7 | 1.5 |
Dribbles* | 1.0 | 1.5 |
Ball recoveries* | 5.2 | 5.3 |
Tackles + interceptions* | 3.5 | 2.8 |
Whole duels (gained)* | 5.0 (57%) | 5.3 (55%) |
Stats through Sofascore | ||
A lot has remained the identical for Gravenberch, however he is now beginning to be a bit extra progressive on the ball, transferring ahead extra steadily and being rewarded for his ambition with a pointy uptick in direct purpose contributions.
Gravenberch is the life-force of this Liverpool staff, the beating coronary heart. Whether or not he manages to take care of this new stage throughout the span of the season stays to be seen, however we would not guess in opposition to it.
Final yr, this younger, highly effective and technically proficient midfielder proved he may increase his recreation, proper? Now he is merely doing it once more, marking the most recent improvement in a journey which has but to succeed in the floor; it isn’t even shut.
Although Liverpool have left one thing to be desired throughout the opening weeks of the season, they’ve nonetheless gained 5 video games out of 5 within the Premier League and claimed three factors of their Champions League opener too. There’s a pervading sense throughout the nation that the Reds are a shoo-in for a profitable top-flight title defence, although it’s far too early to declare such a factor with any actual conviction.
If Liverpool do obtain their objectives, Gravenberch will probably be on the coronary heart of every little thing, along with his persevering with function in the midst of the park turning into one thing really particular. So many instances lately have the membership turned to Salah and the skipper, Virgil van Dijk, for inspiration. That is nonetheless true.
Nonetheless, Gravenberch certainly stakes a compelling declare for the very best participant on Merseyside thus far this time period, turning into a talisman in a distinct vogue to Salah, who stays a focus however with larger high quality within the closing third to ease him towards the autumn of his Liverpool profession.
In any case, that is fairly the staff, and Liverpool wish to make it a particular yr.
