Liverpool must unleash “sensational” star who’d walk into the Madrid team

Liverpool scrambled back from the fear of a Premier League upset on Sunday afternoon to extend their lead at the summit to eight points, following Manchester City’s shock defeat against Tottenham Hotspur the day before.

Things couldn’t be going better for Arne Slot’s side, who are the clear favourites for the title even at a point of the campaign when many observers would scoff at claims of title contention.

They say to judge the league table after Christmas, but it would take a dramatic nosedive in form for Liverpool to plummet below first place in that timeframe.

Anyway. The Merseysiders are not only competing in the top flight. Indeed, Slot’s squad sit atop the newly-formatted, 36-team Champions League group at the midpoint, but now face Real Madrid, who are in solemn need of three points at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

Liverpool’s recent record vs Real Madrid

Liverpool’s recent record against Real Madrid has left plenty to be desired. In fact, it’s left everything. Two Champions League final defeats, two knockout stage exits and one beaten-twice group stage struggle, under Brendan Rodgers in 2014/15, have shaped the Spaniards into Liverpool’s most despised foe.

It’s going to be tough, and while the stakes aren’t quite as high as in recent years, there is still a burning desire to score payback and reinforce Slot’s incredible start to life as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

This is as good a time as ever to defeat Los Blancos, though. Vinicius Junior’s false dawn in the Ballon d’Or does not detract from the Brazilian being one of the deadliest forwards in the world, and it is fortuitous for the Anfield side that he has picked up a hamstring injury that will rule him out this week.

Of course, the flip side is that Kylian Mbappe will get his wish and move into his favoured left-flanking role. Trent Alexander-Arnold has returned to training but may not be fit, meaning Conor Bradley may deputise once again.

Real have an awe-inspiring team of galacticos, but it’s not an infallible construction. In fact, Liverpool have some stars of their own would could walk right into the La Liga giants’ 11.

Mohamed Salah being one, for the 32-year-old is probably the best forward in the world right now, with 12 goals and ten assists from 18 matches in all competitions and an insatiable hunger for the biggest prizes.

He’s not the only one, though, with Ryan Gravenberch enjoying a spectacular season. Believe it or not, the Dutchman might just have hit the level that would see him establish a nailed-down starting berth at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Liverpool star who’d be perfect for Carlo’s Real Madrid

Liverpool signed Bayern Munich’s Gravenberch for a £34m fee in August 2023 in what proved to be Klopp’s final transfer move as the Anfield side’s manager.

He only managed 13 Premier League starts last season but has gone from strength to strength under Slot’s wing, levelling up and maturing a skillset that was blessed with patent quality but lacking in temperament and direction.

Yet to miss a minute in the top flight this term, the many-faceted qualities of this burgeoning midfielder have seen him rise to the fore, and he might just be the perfect piece for this Real Madrid team. After all, he’s actually outshining the La Liga side’s first-choice middleman Aurelien Tchouameni.

The respective anchors are both clearly at the top of their game, but Gravenberch, praised by Steve Nicol for his “sensational” form, is proving to be more active, mobile and combative, on the whole.

Tchouameni yields a slightly higher average in regard to his tackling and intercepting numbers, while he is also the crisper passer, but this latter metric is upheld through the ceding of creativity, something that Gravenberch excels in, with double the key pass creation rate and a far superior ball-carrying average.

Ancelotti’s tactical identity is steeped in ball retention but also fast transitional play and flexibility. It’s a well-known fact that, in a world of tactical sagaciousness, Don Carlo employs a looser, less scripted style.

Gravenberch has demonstrated his dynamism and then some this season, slotting into a deeper-sitting, more defence-focused midfield role that has seen him breaking away from the confines of up-and-down prospect to superstar. Football scout Miguel Ruiz has recently pronounced the Dutchman as “the linchpin” of Liverpool’s engine room.

Not only is Gravenberch outstripping Tchouameni, but statistical analysis conducted by FBref has seen him likened to the versatile Federico Valverde too, only deepening the claim that this might be the perfect midfielder for Ancelotti’s Real team.

Ranking among the top 6% of Champions League midfielders this season for pass completion and the top 10% for progressive carries per 90 (FBref), the £150k-per-week talent could truly be the difference-maker, controlling and nullifying Liverpool’s opponents.

Naturally, his performances for the Reds this season have led to rogue transfer rumours surfacing that the Spaniards are interested in completing a deal in 2025, but you’d have to say that FSG would demand astronomical figures.

In any case, he’ll be one to watch under the European lights.