Arne Slot revealed that Ryan Gravenberch drew inspiration from the legacy of AC Milan’s legendary Dutch players as he helped guide Liverpool to a 3-1 victory at San Siro in the Champions League.
The Reds boss also highlighted the differences in Liverpool’s current midfield setup compared to how it functioned under former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Gravenberch, in superb form, delivered a commanding performance at the base of the Reds’ midfield, as Slot’s side made a statement in the revamped European Cup by securing an impressive win at the home of the seven-time champions.
AC Milan boasts a rich history of Dutch icons, and Slot explained how Gravenberch was motivated to showcase his own talents at one of Europe’s most iconic venues, following in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen.
“He took the occasion of playing at a stadium where a lot of Dutch players played unbelievably well (in the past),” Arne Slot said.
“Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and afterwards someone else (Clarence Seedorf, stood near him) came over here to do the same things as the other three.
“Ryan played outstanding today but he wasn’t the only one.
“[The midfield] is a combination of energy and quality on the ball.
“I think the most successful team of Liverpool in recent years had three ‘animals’ or ‘dogs’ or however you want to call it, very hard-working players in the midfield.
“These three work very hard in midfield as well and they don’t fight with the ball so it means they are quite comfortable on it.
“That’s what you like to see as we like to press high, be really aggressive in what we try to do, but we also like to play out from the back and create our chances like this.
“That’s what they did today.”
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