Last season was all about transition at Liverpool — new faces, a new manager coming in, and big expectations.

The Premier League demands more than just technique.

Players have to run.



And they have to deliver quickly.

Florian Wirtz 'doubts' shared as Liverpool given reason to rethink $171M transfer	Ryan Gravenberch on Liverpool success, fitting nickname and Arne Slot influence	Ryan Gravenberch addresses Liverpool summer departure - 'It's a shame'

When Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, it was clear things would change again.

For Ryan Gravenberch, it meant a new position and a big challenge.

It turns out, that’s exactly what he needed.

Gravenberch had already won plenty before joining Liverpool.

Three Eredivisie titles, two Dutch Cups, a Bundesliga title, and a German Super Cup were all on his list.

He also helped Holland win the Under-17 Euros in 2018.

Still, when Slot told him he would play in a deeper midfield role, he wasn’t completely sure.

“When the coach told me about where he wanted me to play, I just thought ‘when can I start?’” he said as per The Mirror.

“I knew I could do it, even though defensively I sometimes had my doubts.”

“I do think I took a big step forward because it actually went naturally.”

The move paid off.

Gravenberch made 37 starts in 38 games as Liverpool won the Premier League title.

He had made just 21 league starts under Klopp, but under Slot, he became the Reds’ midfield enforcer.

“From the first training session it went pretty well,” he added.

“As the season went on, opponents started to put a different pressure on us and closed us down through the middle.”

“But that created space somewhere else.”

“It was up to us to find the free players.”

Physically, the shift was demanding.

Gravenberch said, “Good question.

It’s a matter of recovering well, where the people at Liverpool also deserve a big compliment.”

“Football has become a running sport – running, running, running.”

“The intensity is of course higher than before, especially in the Premier League.”

“I have that by nature.

But at Ajax, the emphasis in training was more on technique and positional play.

In England, you have to run a lot more.”

Gravenberch now hopes this form will carry into his international career.

He was left out of the Dutch squad at last summer’s Euros but sees a chance now.

“At Liverpool I was given the chance to become a base player and to show myself.”

“That was my goal and I succeeded.

Before at Ajax, I really wanted to play left-half, but now I don’t care anymore.”

As he puts it, “What happened at the European Championships can happen – and then you have to move on.” Liverpool certainly did.

And so did he.

Read more: Real Madrid sign Liverpool target

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