When you consider the incredible talent that has passed through Anfield over the last two decades, Ryan Gravenberch is the only Liverpool player to make goal contributions in his first three starts since 2002. It’s a quirk rather than a sign that he’ll score or assist every game in the future, but it should help with the transition.

Gravenberch scored his first goal for the Reds in a 2-0 win over Union SG, following assists against LASK and Leicester. While his predatory finish no doubt helped him win the club’s Player of the Match award, there was much more to love about his performance. The 21-year-old also set up a clear chance for Mohamed Salah and had two efforts on goal himself.

Gravenberch’s brief Liverpool experience has demonstrated that he is an excellent asset at moving the ball upfield. He will certainly find it more difficult to be as important in the Premier League after making three starts in the Europa League and EFL Cup. He has, however, already put up some eye-catching stats, and he is not alone among the summer midfield recruits in this regard.

Gravenberch tried five dribbles against LASK and two more against Union SG. He dribbled even more versus Wolves on a pro-rata basis, albeit his record of three in one minute was helped and concealed by the lengthy stoppage time when he came on in the 89th minute. Don’t expect him to dribble 270 times in a single game.

His efforts must be contextualized in two ways. To begin, the Reds had 66 and 72% possession in their two European games, respectively, giving their players plenty of chances to contribute on the ball. The opponents sat deep as well, particularly Union SG, which meant there was a strong desire to carry the ball forward and try to take their players on.

However, Liverpool regularly handles with this type of difficulty and has a large percentage of possession. This does not imply that their players will automatically log a large number of attempted dribbles.

A look at 2022/23 demonstrates the point. There were only six occasions when a Reds midfielder attempted at least five dribbles in a league or European games – Thiago Alcântara and Harvey Elliott did it twice apiece, with Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones also giving examples.

Move up to Gravenberch’s midweek total of seven take-ons attempted, and all you’ll find are Henderson against Leicester and Elliott (with nine) when Newcastle visited Anfield. Such numbers are extremely uncommon in the Liverpool midfield.

Gravenberch may be capable of more as well, having completed 10 of 12 attempted dribbles for Ajax in an Eredivisie encounter. Of course, Jürgen Klopp will not be expecting that level of productivity, but adding a fresh dimension to the Reds’ midfield in possession should be a huge plus.

It will not only come from Gravenberch. Dominik Szoboszlai has already attempted and completed three dribbles against Bournemouth and Newcastle. He and his Dutch partner, purchased for a combined $116 million (£95 million/€110 million), have attempted five or more dribbles four times in ten starts, while the entire Liverpool midfield attempted six times previous season.

It should come as no surprise. Szoboszlai was in the top ten in the Bundesliga for completed dribbles last season, and Gravenberch was sixth in the similar Eredivisie chart in his final season with Ajax. Indeed, such abilities may have drawn the Reds to these players in the first place.

The dribbling that two of Liverpool’s summer acquisitions have brought to the club has been nice to see, whether it’s a significant attribute or just a happy extra. Opposition defenses could be unlocked in an intriguing new way.