Sports
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo expressed his pleasure in seeing compatriot Ryan Gravenberch show off his qualities ‘to the whole world’ after a honest appropriate-looking out delivery up to the Premier League season.
Even though the Netherlands pair did no longer turn into teammates at Liverpool till late summer of 2023, Gakpo knew smartly Gravenberch’s talents from their respective Eredivisie spells with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax.
Now in his second season at Anfield, Gravenberch has drawn current plaudits for his form in a original deeper-lying midfield honest below original head coach Arne Slot, having largely been feeble as a replacement below Jurgen Klopp.
Gravenberch is the handiest midfielder in Europe’s mountainous-5 leagues to each form 30+ tackles (30) and 30+ interceptions (33) in all competitions this season, and Gakpo insisted that his Netherlands team-mate can proceed to proceed from energy to energy, initiating towards Southampton this Sunday.
“We [the Dutchmen at Liverpool] knew Ryan already from the Eredivisie when he performed at Ajax, and I feel all individuals knew already that he is that this factual,” Gakpo no longer too long in the past told Males in Blazers.
“After that, he made a transfer to Bayern Munich, and in all likelihood he didn’t play that critical over there, but restful all individuals in Holland knew how factual he is seemingly to be when he became playing.
“And I feel per chance the manager [Slot] also knew this. At the initiating of the season, he set him in a a dinky of varied dwelling, but he gave him the self assurance to play there.
“Ryan showed his quality in that dwelling, grabbed his likelihood as smartly and turned out to be a factual match. He is playing outstandingly for us this season.
“I’m very overjoyed that we can look Ryan, as we Dutchmen already knew, but now he can show it to the whole world. I’m very gay with him.”
30 – Ryan Gravenberch is the handiest midfielder in Europe’s mountainous-5 leagues to each form 30+ tackles (30) and 30+ interceptions (33) in all competitions this season. Busy. pic.twitter.com/9XyrsEtAmf
— OptaPlay (@OptaPlay) November 21, 2024
Southampton, in the intervening time, welcome the Reds to St. Mary’s on the lend a hand of a 2-0 defeat to Wolves earlier than the international atomize, leaving them bottom of the desk after 11 games of the season.
The Saints are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (seven), while handiest Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion charge than Russell Martin’s aspect (6.2%). True 30.1% of Southampton’s photographs have been on the appropriate monitor this time frame (34/113), a league-low ratio.
Then another time, the Southampton head coach is relishing the different of facing Liverpool, together with his gamers performing smartly towards the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City already this time frame.
“I’m if truth be told Sunday. We’re playing the easiest team in the nation at the moment, on their original form and what they have been doing with their manager, built on a vibrant foundation from the previous manager, so I’m if truth be told looking out ahead to it,” Martin stated.
“I feel we showed the guys the Premier League desk last season and the intention critical it modified by the raze and by the raze of December. However it surely’s the truth is this form of thrilling month.
“Folks talk about the scenario of the game and every competitors we face in the subsequent four or 5 games, but it’s what all of us labored so hard for. We must always restful be the challenge.
“I feel groups have shown in the previous few weeks that you may well well additionally rep mountainous results towards mountainous groups, factual opposition, and we’re going to have to. Our level of performance towards groups at the top raze of the desk has been factual on the whole.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southampton – Mateus Fernandes
Fernandes has turn into a mainstay in the Southampton team, initiating the last eight Premier League games in a row, and has been one amongst Martin’s standout performers in a lacklustre delivery up to the campaign.
In the Saints’ 2-0 defeat to Wolves last outing, the Portuguese contributed a team-excessive expected objectives (xG) tally of 0.22 from his three photographs, while handiest Yukinari Sugawara (10) and Flynn Downes (12) have created more probabilities in the top-flight than Fernandes (eight) this season.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Salah has each scored and assisted in the identical match 35 times in the Premier League (including four already this time frame), honest one petrified of Wayne Rooney’s file of 36 games with each a diagram and an abet in the competitors. The Egyptian has been straight fascinated by 11 objectives (seven objectives, four assists) in 11 Premier League appearances towards Southampton.
He has also been straight fascinated by 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League objectives this season (14/21 – eight objectives, six assists), the very top ratio by a participant for any aspect in the division in 2024-25. Certainly, handiest Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% – 34/49) has scored or assisted an even bigger proportion of a aspect’s objectives in a single season in the competitors.
Mo pic.twitter.com/7sNiPZkYEX
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 19, 2024
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool have won 9 of their 11 Premier League games below original head coach Slot (D1 L1). A obtain over Southampton will look the Dutchman turn into the joint-fastest manager to reach 10 wins from the delivery up of a Premier League career (12 games), alongside Guus Hiddink in May maybe per chance well merely 2009 and Carlo Ancelotti in November 2009 (each with Chelsea).
The Reds’ last Premier League game towards the Saints became a 4-4 away intention in May maybe per chance well merely 2023 – they conceded as many objectives in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s blended.
Southampton have won honest one amongst their last 14 Premier League games towards Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 dwelling victory in January 2021.
This would possibly well even be the first Premier League match between the aspect initiating the day bottom of the desk and the aspect initiating the day top since April 2023, and Southampton’s 3-3 intention away to Arsenal. The league leaders are unbeaten in 14 such suits (W12 D2) since Wolves won 2-1 towards Manchester United in February 2011.
Then another time, Southampton have handiest misplaced one amongst their last eight Premier League dwelling games towards aspects initiating the day at the summit (W2 D5) and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2 – including a 1-0 obtain over Liverpool in January 2021) since a 0-1 defeat to Man City in May maybe per chance well merely 2018.
However Martin’s aspect have misplaced 9 of their 11 Premier League games this season (W1 D1). Finest seven aspects in English top-flight history have reached 10 defeats in 12 or fewer suits from the delivery up of a campaign, with all seven occurring to be relegated.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Southampton – 9.7%
Way – 12.6%
Liverpool – 77.7%
