I’ve seen enough from one Liverpool ace who Arne Slot has completely transformed

This was much more like it from Liverpool. Arne Slot could celebrate his birthday with a victory in the Champions League and – hopefully – the dismal defeat against Nottingham Forest is now behind the Reds.

Consistency, as Virgil van Dijk said post-match, is now the key for Liverpool. It is no good beating the big teams but dropping points, be in the Premier League or in Europe, against the lesser ones, but Slot couldn’t have asked for much more in Milan. For 95 per cent of the match, Liverpool was in control of proceedings – no mean feat in the San Siro.

Ryan Gravenberch was awarded the Player of the Match award by UEFA and the Dutchman was impressive again. This wasn’t the swashbuckling performance he put in at Old Trafford before the international break but he was quietly effective once more.

Liverpool didn’t buy a number six in the summer but if it had, it is unlikely that player would be performing as well as this for Slot. Gravenberch has made a scintillating start to life in a new position and was one of the few to come out of the Nottingham Forest defeat with anything close to any credit.

In the matches with Ipswich Town, Brentford and Manchester United, Gravenberch was impressive. Against Milan, he completed 90 per cent of his passes and recovered possession for his side 10 times while making another six interceptions. It wasn’t the heights of Old Trafford but it was another showing that proved he can play the deeper role effectively.

Against the better teams, Gravenberch has now shown he is ideal alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in the center of the field. Between that trio, there is enough physical attributes and technical quality to offer the ideal blend; Bournemouth will likely offer the chance to show the same players can also break down a low block.

But even if things don’t go as smoothly against the Cherries and there is a similar lack of movement in the Liverpool attack next Saturday as there was last, Gravenberch has already done enough to show that he is more than capable of offering what the Reds need at the base of their midfield.

It won’t be his fault on the evidence of what we have seen from him so far this season. The sample size remains relatively small but it is growing with every passing game. There can be no doubt at this point that Gravenberch is the player who Slot has changed the most since he replaced Jurgen Klopp – and that is despite working with the 22-year-old former Ajax and Bayern Munich ace for only a matter of weeks.

Gravenberch has been completely transformed from a midfielder lacking confidence and looking unsure of his best position to a lynchpin of the Liverpool team. If he keeps this up – and I’ve already seen enough to convince me that he will – then we could look back at the Martin Zubimendi transfer failure as the first major sliding doors moment of the Slot era.

It’s still early days, but I’ve seen enough to be convinced. In Gravenberch, Liverpool has found a real gem who is playing a hugely important role in Slot’s successful transition to date.