Ryan Gravenberch will have to miss Liverpool’s season opener. The midfielder picked up two yellow cards in the final match of last season and was therefore sent off with a red. This came as a surprise to his coach, Arne Slot.
Liverpool will be without Ryan Gravenberch for their highly anticipated 2025/26 Premier League opener against AFC Bournemouth, set for August 15 at 21:00 at Anfield.
The Dutch midfielder, who had been a consistent presence in the Reds’ midfield last season, is forced to serve a suspension carried over from the final match of the previous campaign. In that game, Gravenberch was shown two yellow cards the first for what the referee deemed simulation and was subsequently sent off. This ruling has left new Liverpool manager Arne Slot puzzled and, in his own words, “still bewildered” months later.
“People have probably forgotten how Ryan got suspended,” Slot told reporters ahead of the season curtain-raiser. “He received his first yellow card for diving. If there’s one team in this league that plays honestly and hardly ever uses tricks, it’s us. We play fair, we never dive, and now we have a suspension for a player who, last May, got his first yellow card for a dive.” Slot’s frustration was not just with the decision itself but with what it symbolises a clash between Liverpool’s sporting ethos and the more pragmatic, opportunistic approaches often seen in football today.
The Dutch coach, who took over from Jürgen Klopp with a vision of blending high-intensity pressing football with disciplined, sportsmanlike play, has always stressed that his team should represent integrity on the pitch. However, he admitted that there is sometimes a price to pay for playing “too honestly.” He pointed to an incident involving new signing Florian Wirtz during a key moment in a match against Crystal Palace last season. “Florian was held back during a big chance,” Slot explained. “He didn’t go down, and the referee said that if he doesn’t fall, he won’t get the free kick either. That’s the reality of the game sometimes you have to make the referee see the foul.”
Slot then drew comparisons to other matches he has observed recently, including a pre-season clash between Fenerbahçe and his former club Feyenoord. “There I saw a team with many players who sometimes used a bit of cleverness,” he said. “Cody Gakpo, against Crystal Palace, got a push in the back during a good chance but stayed on his feet. If he had gone down, maybe we’d have had a penalty. But Cody chose to keep playing, and that says a lot about our mentality.”
While acknowledging that a degree of gamesmanship can be beneficial, Slot remains proud of Liverpool’s refusal to rely on it. He cited last season’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield, a match the Reds narrowly lost 0-1 but which stood out to him for its purity of competition. “For me, the best match of last season was against PSG at home. An intense match, in which both teams did everything to play football not to fall, not to waste time. I’m also proud that we won the Premier League by being who we are,” he said, underlining his commitment to maintaining Liverpool’s identity.
The absence of Gravenberch for the Bournemouth game presents a tactical challenge for Slot, who will be keen to start his tenure with a convincing win. The Dutch international’s ability to dictate tempo, carry the ball forward, and break lines has been an important asset for the Reds. His suspension could open the door for other midfielders possibly Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, or Curtis Jones to step up in the season opener.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will look to take advantage of any early-season disruptions at Anfield. The Cherries, known for their aggressive pressing and rapid counterattacks, could test Liverpool’s midfield balance in Gravenberch’s absence. For Slot, it’s a first real test not just of tactics but of squad depth and adaptability.
Still, the bigger talking point remains the incident that caused the suspension and the wider debate it sparks about the nature of modern football. Should teams embrace the so-called “dark arts” to win more decisions, or should they stick to pure sportsmanship even at the risk of losing out? For Arne Slot, the answer is clear Liverpool will win their way, or not at all.
