There's just something about Liverpool beating Chelsea on penalties in cup competitions and that's exactly what's happened one again. Wesley Fofana skied his penalty into the Kop end of Anfield in sudden death of penalties won 6-5 by the hosts after a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup fourth round clash.
Ironically enough, it was penalties from Morgan Rogers (40') and Cody Gakpo (43') in regular time that sent the two sides straight to penalties. The scoreline was a fair result after the 90 minutes, but it was a matter of who'd crack first in the spot kicks.
A miss from Valentin Braco preceded a miss from Kostas Tsimikas before both Ryan Gravenberch and Emmanuel Emegha both missed ahead of Joe Gomez's confident conversion and Fofana's costly miss.
For large spells, Xabi Alonso's side looked the more threatening side and played through Liverpool's midfield with ease. Iraola's rotations from the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion saw Gravenberch start alongside Trey Nyoni in the center of midfield with James McConnell just ahead of them.
For Gravenberch and Nyoni, there looked to be a lack of understanding between the two midfielders and just who, exactly, was supposed to be more holding and who was given more attacking license - an issue that the Reds have had without a clearly defined holding midfielder in the squad.
A Night To Forget For Gravenberch
While he's certainly a top player when he's in peak form, it just wasn't Gravenberch's night at Anfield despite Liverpool progressing to the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Of any Liverpool player that started on the night, Gravenberch had the lowest rating via WhoScored as it was, despite the win, a performance to forget for the Dutch international.
His pass success rate was only 79%, only completed a total of 22 accurate passes, had zero successful dribbles, and was disposed twice in addition to missing his penalty and concedingthe penalty that Rogers converted in regular time. His facial expression and body language throughout the night was one of a frustrated, dejected player lacking confidence, which is something he is rather susceptible to.
Some Fans Have Seen Enough Of Gravenberch
For some Liverpool fans, they've seen enough of Gravenberch in Liverpool's midfield and genuinely feel he needs replacing if he's still going to be relied on to be the number 6, holding player. As Steven Gerrard recently alluded to on an episode of the Overlap Daily, The Reds still need to sign that "powerhouse" type midfielder that's a ball winner, attack stopper, and natural general in the center of the park.
One fan wrote: "We have to sign a DM. Gravenberch is not it man. He has been poor this season."
Another added: "We're through but Iraola should not repeat this mistake again. All subs except Barcola were below average tonight. Jut keep Gravenberch on the bench for the next few games."
One insisted: "At this point, Trey Nyoni needs to be starting ahead of Gravenberch."
Another agreed: "Gravenberch cannot be ahead of Nyoni right now."
One wrote: "Gravenberch still on the pitch and not Nyoni, alright. Maybe it's a sign, Nyoni starts against Arsenal."
Iraola has essentially inherited this midfield conundrum from Arne Slot. So much of what has worked for Liverpool in recent years with the team that Jurgen Klopp built and Slot won the Premier League with was based on their solid attackers that also did defensive work and a collective high press.
It can work that way without a holding midfielder and you can get away with double pivots that both have license to roam forward in attack, but that relies on a level of counterpressing and discipline from the most advanced players on the pitch.
It's worked in the past but it's clearly evident it's not the end all, be all at the moment and, with the way the team is currently setup, there is a necessity for a natural number six, whether that means someone being brought in or continuously working Nyoni into the team. The youngster has shown plenty of promise and certainly seems to be growing in confidence the more he plays.
