European hits and misses: Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch ready for Premier League chance? | Football News

Time for ‘top bloke’ Gravenberch to get PL chance?

Ryan Gravenberch stood out on an otherwise underwhelming night of Europa League football at Anfield on Thursday. He was rewarded with a standing ovation.

The midfielder has made a good impression in the early stages of his Liverpool career. A goal and two assists for the man Jurgen Klopp describes as a “top bloke” is an encouraging return.

Lack of minutes was the issue for Gravenberch at Bayern Munich. That problem has been addressed on Merseyside but he is yet to get his first Premier League start.

That feels like the obvious next step in Klopp’s plans for the 21-year-old. Thursday’s performance against Union could nudge him into contention for the trip Brighton on Sunday – live on Sky Sports.

Curtis Jones’ suspension and the injury to Cody Gakpo means Gravenberch could get his chance this weekend.
Zinny Boswell

Lamptey rises to the occasion

Brighton are learning on the job in Europe. They are learning to manage the sort of atmosphere that awaited them at one of the continent’s biggest bear pits, with a history of hostility.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side didn’t go under when they trailed 2-0 inside 20 minutes. They showed real character to ignite their Europa League campaign.

The Italian will certainly be the happier of the two managers. Gennaro Gattuso, the newly appointed Marseille head coach who is synonymous with European competitions, grimaced as he watched two points slip through his fingers. In truth, a draw was just about a fair result.

The Velodrome, this famous cauldron of noise and flares, was partially closed when Tottenham played here last November after crowd trouble between the home side and Eintracht Frankfurt supporters, but the 3,000 Brighton fans who had their own travel issues upon arrival at Marseille Airport will return home encouraged that their European adventure can be extended into the new year.

Tariq Lamptey recovered, like Dunk, from the early defensive inquest to have a fine game at left-back in the absence of Pervis Estupinan. The Ecuadorian is set to be out for at least a month, and with big tests ahead against Liverpool and Manchester City, De Zerbi will feel on this evidence that his replacement can fill the void.
Ben Grounds

Ward-Prowse impresses again after England snub

West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse gave the perfect response just hours after being left out of the England squad.

The 28-year-old produced one of his trademark set-piece deliveries to set up Nayef Aguerd’s second-half headed winner that saw the Hammers set a new English record of 17 consecutive European matches unbeaten with a 2-1 win over Freiburg.

Ward-Prowse’s superb corner assist means it is now eight goal involvements in eight appearances since joining the Irons from Southampton for £30m – a fee which is quickly proving a real bargain in today’s inflated market.

His six assists and two goals in all competitions should have surely been rewarded with a call-up by England boss Gareth Southgate but it seems he just does not fancy Ward-Prowse after leaving him out of the Three Lions squad for this month’s matches against Australia and Italy.

It is a decision that appears wholly unfair on Ward-Prowse, with Jordan Henderson, who plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, and the out-of-form Kalvin Phillips continuing to be picked ahead of the Hammers midfielder.

For now, though, Ward-Prowse can only keep up his outstanding form at club level in the hope of finally winning Southgate over to potentially earn a place at the European Championships next year.
Declan Olley

Rudderless Rangers need direction now

A trip to Cyprus in 30-degree heat seemed like a timely boost for Rangers supporters – instead their club crisis deepened.

A humbling defeat to the Cypriot First Division’s fifth-best team left even more questions than answers.

With Michael Beale gone, Steven Davis haplessly took the reins, overseeing a performance bereft of quality and ideas.

The 2-1 scoreline made the game appear closer than it was. The Rangers defence was run ragged with the midfield continuously caught out on the counter-attack.

It is believed the club’s succession-planning process for life after Beale has been in place for a number of months featuring an evolving list of options – it will need to be better than their player recruitment.

No appointment will be made before Sunday’s game at St Mirren, live on Sky Sports, as the club focuses on finding the correct long-term fit, but that replacement is now needed sooner rather than later.
David Richardson

Patience pays off as McGinn helps Villa arrive in Europe

John McGinn’s last-gasp winner saved Aston Villa from embarrassment as they laboured to an uninspiring 1-0 victory. It was their first group-stage success in Europe since overcoming Slavia Prague way back in November 2008.

Villa had huffed, they had puffed and they eventually blew the Zrinjski house down. The Bosnian defence had been resolute all evening but then, with two minutes of stoppage time remaining, Bertrand Traore and Matty Cash linked up intelligently down the right and McGinn arrived late to finish.

Villa Park, previously restless, was all of a sudden relentless. ‘Super John McGinn’ sounded around the famous old ground hosting its first proper European game for more than 14 years.

“Tonight was a must-win, there’s no doubt about that,” McGinn said afterwards. “We might have had a point which wouldn’t have been the end of the world but we really picked up our performance in the second half and it’s pure relief to get the goal at the end.”

Unai Emery wasn’t the only coach at Villa Park on Thursday who had enjoyed a charmed start to life at his new club. On the Zrinjski bench, Krunoslav Rendulic has been in charge for less than a year, immediately orchestrating a 14-game winning run and guiding the Mostar outfit to the league and cup double.

Their resilience showed for 94 minutes, and given that all four teams in Group E are now locked on three points, this dramatic late victory might well prove a significant moment in Villa’s charge to the knockout stages.
Ben Grounds

Dons daring to cause Europe shock

Aberdeen may rue not taking three points against HJK Helsinki but they are proving their worth on the European stage.

Bojan Miovski’s precise late header made sure the Dons got on the board in Group G in a game they deserved to win.

“That’s evident, we all saw that,” said manager Barry Robson. “I’m disappointed with the goal we lost. They had one shot at goal. We should’ve scored a couple more, been a bit more clinical. If we’d done that, we could have won that game by three or four.”

Aberdeen momentarily stunned Eintracht Frankfurt in the opening game of the group by equalising in the Waldstadion before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat.

Their no-fear approach is serving them well and must continue if they are to reach the knockout stages.