Pennant says Liverpool player ‘awful’ after PSG defeat

Pennant says Liverpool player ‘awful’ after PSG defeat

Liverpool’s Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain has led to strong reactions, with Ryan Gravenberch among those singled out despite a mixed performance at Anfield.

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The Dutch midfielder played the full 90 minutes as we were knocked out 4-0 on aggregate, but not everyone was impressed with what they saw.

Pennant delivers harsh Gravenberch verdict

Taking to X during the match, former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant gave a brutally honest assessment of the No.38’s display.

He wrote: “Gravenberch has been awful, calling it as I see it. Do you see how Liverpool don’t get a second on the ball?

“That folks is called pressing and you don’t need to be a ballon d’Or winner to do that, that’s work on the training pitch and the easiest thing to do out of everything.”

It’s a strong criticism, particularly around the pressing side of the game, which was an issue for us in the first half as PSG dominated possession and tempo.

From our perspective, there’s no doubt the midfield struggled at times, especially before the break when we couldn’t get control of the ball or impose ourselves physically.

Performance not as bad as criticism suggests

However, the full picture tells a slightly more balanced story when you look at Gravenberch’s overall contribution.

The Netherlands international registered a 6.7 Sofascore rating, completed 32 of 42 passes, and contributed defensively with three tackles and three interceptions, showing he was still involved even if the game passed him by in spells.

He also attempted four shots and recorded an expected goals figure of 0.12, which highlights that he was trying to make things happen going forward during our improved second-half spell.

That’s important context, because while pressing and intensity were issues, he was far from the only one struggling against a PSG side that has reached the semi-finals in five of the last seven seasons.

Gravenberch has already faced criticism at international level too, with Ronald Koeman previously calling out his defensive positioning, although players like Moises Caicedo have also praised his quality on the ball.

In truth, this felt more like a collective issue than an individual one.

If anything, the 23-year-old’s display summed up where we are right now, flashes of quality, moments of frustration, and a team still searching for consistency at the highest level.