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Liverpool 'trust' Gravenberch, says Iraola

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Andoni Iraola reiterated that Liverpool have full trust in Ryan Gravenberch, despite a turbulent start to the season.

Gravenberch struggled in Liverpool's EFL Cup win on penalties over Chelsea in midweek, giving away the penalty from which Morgan Rogers scored to take the lead.

The match finished 1-1 – with Cody Gakpo also netting from the spot – and Gravenberch then missed his attempt in the shootout, though he was given a reprieve as Liverpool won it 6-5.

Gravenberch was also sent off earlier this month when he received two bookings against Manchester City, with the Reds going on to lose 3-0, with all the goals scored after his dismissal.

The Dutchman has made 12 appearances across all competitions, starting seven of those games, and Iraola is in no doubt of the midfielder's quality ahead of their clash with Arsenal on Sunday.

"I think he has had better games this season, worse games," Iraola said.

"I think lately he is playing a lot, a lot of minutes and has also played very good games recently.

"We trust him. We know what he can produce and like with other players when they don't play well, [we] try to help him to improve the things I think he can improve, and he's in a good place."

In his 12 appearances, Gravenberch has made 13 interceptions (the fourth-highest total in the squad), while he has a passing accuracy of 87.5% (253/289).

Liverpool are looking to close the gap to Arsenal when they face off at Anfield, though the Reds have won just one of their last eight Premier League games against the Gunners (D5 L2) – a 1-0 home win last season.