Liverpool star admits he’s happier under Slot than Klopp as tactical tweak that destroyed Man Utd is revealed

Ryan Gravenberch has admitted he is loving life under Arne Slot at Liverpool having listed the ways his approach differs from Jurgen Klopp and having also spoken about the tactical tweak that floored Manchester United last weekend.

The Netherlands star moved to Anfield last summer, the final addition of Liverpool‘s four summer signings last year and ultimately proving to be the final signing of the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield. Costing £34.2m (€40m / $44.4m) from Bayern Munich, the 22-year-old opted to leave the Bundesliga giants in search of more regular first-team football having been marginalised under then boss Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena.

But while the midfielder made 38 appearances across his debut season, only 20 of those were starts, with the 12-times capped Netherlands international more often than not starting on the bench and playing second fiddle to the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai.

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However, this season, Gravenberch has made the defensive midfield role for Liverpool his own, starting all three of their games to date and completing 90 minutes in two of them, lasting 89 minutes in the other.

And with Liverpool adopting a more possession-based style than previously seen under Klopp, the Dutchman has excelled in the base of the midfield, and having made the most of his chance to impress, which has largely come around after the failure to convince Martin Zubimendi to ditch Real Sociedad for Anfield.

Now Gravenberch has admitted he is loving life under the new Reds boss and has lifted the lid on the confidence he has instilled in his game which could ensure Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes thinks twice over signing a new No 6 in 2025.

Gravenberch revelling in Liverpool life under Slot

“I just feel good in my skin, to be honest. But does that have a reason? Yeah, things are going well at the club,” Gravenberch told ESPN Netherlands. ‘I’m just doing my thing, and it’s working out well now.

“He [Slot] gives me confidence now. He just lets me start in the lineup. It’s going pretty well. As a player, you obviously want to get minutes. For me, that confidence is part of it. With that confidence, I feel more comfortable, and with the minutes, it keeps getting better.

“He’s a good coach. He knows what he wants. He has a clear plan. Yeah, so far, we’re executing it really well. Clarity from the start is always nice for me.”

Gravenberch feels a tweak in their tactical system has brought out the best in his game, adding: “There were sometimes matches in which I had only touched the ball once after five or six minutes. Then you don’t get into your game. Now I get the ball more, then you get more comfortable.”

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The Merseysiders are 100% after three matches under Slot and are yet to have their defence breached, making them the only side of 92 professional clubs in English football not to have conceded a goal so far this season.

Lifting the lid on those tactics, and the high press which floored Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday – best illustrated by the way Luis Diaz robbed Casemiro of possession in the build-up to his second goal – Slot commented: “I normally don’t use the word ‘proud’ but what I think we did very well in all three games is, like I just mentioned, the work-rate without the ball.

“So, we try to press the opponent as high as we can but if they play through or over our press, I see everybody working really hard to make sure we don’t need Ali (Alisson Becker) and sometimes we do and then it’s a good thing that we have a real good goalkeeper.”