Liverpool’s season went from concerning to outright alarming after their brutal 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest — and now one of last year’s standout performers is being accused of vanishing when the Reds need him most.
Ryan Gravenberch, once hailed as a midfield revelation, is suddenly under the harshest spotlight of his Liverpool career. Former Anfield defender Steve Nicol didn’t mince his words on ESPN, taking aim at the Dutch international for what he believes has been a shocking drop in standards this season.
“There’s one guy who has escaped criticism so far — Ryan Gravenberch,” Nicol said. “Last year, after Salah and maybe Van Dijk, he was Liverpool’s best player. But this season? He’s done none of what made him so important. He’s completely disappeared.”
Nicol’s criticism cuts deeper because of what Gravenberch was supposed to be: the shield in front of the back four, the organiser, the enforcer, the glue between Liverpool’s defence and attack. Instead, the 22-year-old looks lost, passive, and far from the player who dominated midfields throughout the club’s title-winning campaign.
And according to SofaScore’s ratings, Gravenberch was the second-worst Liverpool player on the pitch against Forest with a bleak 6.4 — a reflection of the chaos engulfing the team.
The loss to Forest wasn’t just another bad day. It marked Liverpool’s sixth league defeat in their opening 12 games, leaving them stranded in 11th place and drifting further away from league leaders Arsenal. If the Gunners beat Spurs in the North London derby, the gap between the sides will stretch to a daunting 11 points.
A title defence has never collapsed so quickly — and Arne Slot knows it.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the defeat, the under-fire manager didn’t hide:
“We are in a very bad spell. It’s my job to get the best out of them… and I’m not. That’s why I say it’s my responsibility.”
But while Slot’s honesty may win respect, honesty won’t win points — and fans are growing restless. Liverpool supporters stayed to the final whistle… only to boo their team off the pitch.
Nicol believes the solution must start with the basics — something he says Slot and Liverpool have completely abandoned.
“You can’t lose three goals at home and beat anybody,” Nicol said. “He has to get them back on the training field doing drills — boring drills, basic drills.”
The reality is hard to ignore: Liverpool’s once-feared defence is now the Premier League’s gift shop. They’ve conceded nine set-piece goals already this season, their aerial duels look unconvincing, and their organisation — once the backbone of Klopp’s glory years — is unrecognisable.
Virgil van Dijk’s form, too, is spiralling. The captain’s post-match comments were scathing toward teammates, but his own performances have come under serious scrutiny. As one pundit pointed out: “He’s demanding leadership, but he’s not showing leadership.”
Gravenberch’s tumble in form has been one of the most baffling elements of Liverpool’s collapse.
Last season:
He covered more ground than almost any midfielder
He was a pressing machine
His tackling and distribution were elite
He controlled matches in ways Liverpool had lacked since Wijnaldum’s departure
This season:
He looks hesitant
His defensive instincts have vanished
His positioning has been exposed repeatedly
His confidence appears shattered
Nicol believes the spiral is not just form — it’s mentality.
“The job he had last year isn’t being done. He’s not organising, he’s not covering, he’s not leading,” Nicol said. “He’s disappeared.”
Forest’s win wasn’t a fluke. It was dominance. Savona, Gibbs-White, and Murillo tore through a Liverpool side that looked confused, flat, and increasingly fractured.
And this isn’t just about one match — it’s about a pattern.
Eight points behind the leaders.
Six losses in twelve league games.
A dressing room showing cracks.
Senior players publicly questioning effort.
Fans losing faith far earlier than expected.
And hovering above it all is the uncomfortable question:
Is Arne Slot losing the dressing room?
Some pundits think so. Others say he simply inherited too many problems at once. But one thing is clear — Liverpool owners will not allow this to continue indefinitely.
Slot’s next test comes swiftly:
PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on Wednesday night.
A win could stabilise a sinking ship.
A loss could push Slot closer to the edge.
Then comes West Ham away — another dangerous fixture for a fragile Liverpool side.
It’s too early to say Gravenberch’s season is beyond repair — but the pressure is building fast. Slot still believes in him, but belief alone won’t rescue Liverpool from spiralling.
The Reds need identity. They need structure. They need leadership.
And they need it now.
Because if results don’t change soon, the next round of headlines won’t be about Gravenberch or Van Dijk or individual performances…
They’ll be about the future of the man in the dugout.
