'Escaped criticism': Steve Nicol points finger at Liverpool player who has 'disappeared' without anyone noticing

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Liverpool’s season hit a new low on Saturday as they were thumped at their own ground by Nottingham Forest.The Reds have been lurching from one disaster to the next since the end of September, but have been able to point to a difficult fixture list as some kind of mitigation.However, Saturday’s fixture at Anfield against a side who began the day second bottom of the Premier League table was supposed to be the start of Liverpool‘s comeback. Questions are being asked of Arne Slot’s future, which feels fair at this point, but the Liverpool players also must be prepared to face major criticism.The likes of Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate have largely carried the can so far, as well as the underperforming new signings, but arguably the biggest drop-off from last season to this has been seen in Ryan Gravenberch.Gravenberch deservedly won the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award after a stellar campaign in 2024/25, but has not replicated that at all this term.

According to former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol, it’s about time the Dutchman was singled out.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesRyan Gravenberch can escape criticism no longerGravenberch has had a slightly more stop-start season than last time out, which has perhaps contributed to his difficulty in finding rhythm.Nevertheless, it is very apparent that as Liverpool continue to ship goals and look far too easy to play through, the 23-year-old has to be doing better.READ MORE: Ibrahima Konate’s Liverpool career should be over after diabolical Nottingham Forest displaySpeaking to ESPN FC in the wake of Saturday’s defeat, Nicol claimed that while Gravenberch has been escaping the spotlight so far this season, his drop in form has undoubtedly been costly for the Reds.“There’s one guy who I think has escaped criticism so far: Gravenberch,” said the Liverpool legend. Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images “This is a guy who no question after Salah and maybe Van Dijk was Liverpool’s best player last year.

He’s done none of that this year. “He is another one who, as fantastic as he was last year, has completely disappeared again.”Gravenberch must be key to Liverpool’s revivalIf Liverpool are to have any kind of revival this season – and surely things will improve at some stage – then Gravenberch is likely to be at the forefront of it.When the Netherlands international plays well, Liverpool look all the better for it.If he is unsure, slightly off the pace or struggling to get to grips with his direct opposition on the pitch, the Reds tend to play worse.Maybe it does not help that Gravenberch has been shunted back to centre-half at times, as he was again on Saturday.But Slot’s rebuild must start from building a solid foundation once again, and as the deepest lying midfield player, Gravenberch is very much part of that.