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Ryan Gravenberch was slammed in his performance for the Netherlands in news that won't spell good reading for Arne Slot.
The Liverpool star was in action for his nation against Poland on Friday in their penultimate FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match. A win would have secured the Netherlands' place in the competition next summer but they were held to a 1-1 draw that saw keep a three-point lead at the top of Group G.
The 23-year-old, alongside Reds team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo, all started the match and it was the Reds skipper and the midfielder who came in for scathing criticism from ex-Netherlands international Pierre van Hooijdonk.
The former striker, who turned out for the likes of Celtic and Nottingham Forest, branded Gravenberch's performance as "lazy" and slammed him for not tracking runners throughout the game.
While analysing footage from the match, Van Hooijdonk said, via quotes from Voetbal International: "“It’s laziness, because you think the ball won’t fall there anyway. Against Spain, for example, everyone was ‘on’ and no one let their man go.
"But when you have a lot of possession against those kinds of teams, you actually have a false sense of dominance." While Gravenberch has yet to reach the lofty heights he achieved last year, he's still has been one of the few bright sparks in what has been a dire season for the reigning Premier League champions thus far.
A downturn in form would place even more pressure on Slot who has endured a historically bad run of five league losses in six games. Aside from missing the first game of the season against Bournemouth due to suspension and the 3-2 loss to Brentford because of injury, Gravenberch has been otherwise ever-present for the Reds.
His end product has had a dramatic shift with three goals scored already in the league as well as two assists across all competitions. It's already been a stark improvement on last season where he failed to score a single goal.
Gravenberch revealed it was Slot who was behind his increased numbers, admitting he's been given more license to go forward by his manager. "It’s the coach that gives me the confidence," Gravenberch said on TNT Sports after scoring in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Everton in September.
"This season, we have more freedom in the midfield. Last season, I was only on the six, like deep, deep. Now I can go more forward, which you saw today. My strength is also there.
"I’m happy with that and also happy with the goal. Last season, I think I didn’t even score. So, of course this season I want more goals and assists. I’m really happy with today."
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