Ryan Gravenberch Sent Blunt Liverpool Advice After Picking Up Another POTM Award Against Wolves
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk addressed Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate after the team secured a 2-1 victory against Wolves, which pushed them to the top of the Premier League.
Van Dijk emphasised the importance of Gravenberch to “stay grounded” as the midfielder’s impressive form earned him another player-of-the-match award in the win over Wolves on Saturday.
In addition to praising Gravenberch, van Dijk also commended Ibrahima Konate, whose return to the starting lineup in recent matches has contributed to Liverpool maintaining the best defensive record in the Premier League over the first six games.
Gravenberch once again delivered a standout performance in the midfield for Arne Slot’s side at Molineux, playing a key role in securing the win that took Liverpool to the top of the table.
His strong showing against Wolves is part of a series of exceptional performances from the former Bayern Munich player this season.
The former Ajax teenager has been so consistently impressive in midfield that both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson jokingly posted on social media following Saturday’s game about Gravenberch securing yet another award for his display.
However, Van Dijk, who also plays alongside the 22-year-old for the Netherlands national team, has advised his fellow countryman to remain focused in the coming months.
“(My message is) stay fit, keep going, stay grounded, and don’t listen to the praise that much,” Van Dijk said. “Just stay calm and play well. He is playing with a lot of confidence with and without the ball.
“He has not had a lot of injuries and he is growing into it. He is very important and (Alexis) Mac Allister Mac Allister and (Dominik) Szoboszlai as well. It is a good triangle and they are still growing and learning. We did better in the second half in my opinion. In the first half, we scored the 1-0.
“We controlled the game – we poorly gave a goal away – and that obviously could have been dangerous but we scored very quickly after that and that helps. They have to come out a little bit more and then there is a little bit more space to play.”
On Konate, Van Dijk added: “We need everyone to be at their best. Ibou is an amazing, fantastic player who can still be better. He is defensively solid and was a bit unlucky with the goal that we conceded but the qualities he has, he is outstanding.
“He is learning and he is growing, getting better and looking after himself much better, to be ready every three days — and also he has a young player behind him in Jarell (Quansah) who is also a good one, so they keep pushing each other.
“We have a very good squad – a mixture of experience and talent – and players who are at a very good stage of their career. So it is good to see the way we are playing.
“Mo (Mohamed Salah) was many times in the box and heading balls away and stuff and that is the kind of commitment we need from everyone.
“So far, so good. But it is only one game and we all realise that. Now we focus on the Champions League (Bologna at home on Wednesday).
“Do I pay attention to the table now? No. December is always a crucial month. The teams who go through that well, winning games and having no injuries, have a big chance to be successful. Let’s see.”
In other Liverpool news, 0 Dribbles, Lost the Ball 23x: Liverpool’s 5/10 Ace Was as Bad as Szoboszlai vs Wolves
