English outfit Liverpool have a strong contingent of Dutch players right now. Club captain Virgil van Dijk, as well as key first-team members Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, and summer arrival Jeremie Frimpong, have all picked up international caps for the Netherlands.
Perhaps that should come as no surprise, as manager Arne Slot also hails from that part of the world. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about right now – with the Reds struggling for form in the Premier League – the Anfield boss may have been concerned if he turned in for the World Cup Qualifier against Poland.
Although, Netherlands were able to all but secure their spot at the 2026 World Cup with a draw, they struggled to impress against a Polish team who were missing some key players in Jan Bednarek (injury), Przemyslaw Wisniewski (suspension), and goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski (injury).
In the end, goals from Jakub Kaminski and Memphis Depay saw the game finish 1-1. In the aftermath of the draw, however, Dutch media have taken aim at one Liverpool star.
Ryan Gravenberch
Most notably, Pierre van Hooijdonk, who used to play for Celtic, singled out Gravenberch for criticism. In quotes from Voetbal International, the Dutch pundit called out the Anfield ace for being ‘lazy’. He noted how the midfielder repeatedly let his man go, and remarked:
“It’s laziness, because you think the ball won’t fall there anyway,
“Against Spain, for example, everyone was ‘on’ and no one let their man go. But when you have a lot of possession against those kinds of teams, you actually have a false sense of dominance.”
Dutch outlet AD were also among those not impressed by Gravenberch’s efforts, handing him a 6/10 in their player ratings. Football Orange were even more damning, dishing out a 5/10 score and noting:
“Was far too invisible throughout the game and did little.”
Gravenberch’s Liverpool teammate Gakpo admitted that the national side were far from their best on the day. Speaking to the press after the match, he said:
“If you don’t win, you always have to do better. We didn’t win today, so we have to do better. Also in terms of play. I think we’ve played some really good games lately, but today wasn’t very good, so we have to do better.”
Slot Will Be Worried as Liverpool’s International Stars Disappoint
UEFA Champions League – Liverpool Press Conference – AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, Britain – November 3, 2025 Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
Slot will no doubt mainly just hope that he can get all his key players back from the international break fit and available, having avoided any injuries. That said, he would have also perhaps been hoping for a few players to find a bit of form and confidence away from the pressure at Anfield right now.
A 3-0 thumping away at title rivals Manchester City in the final game before the break showed just how off the pace Liverpool have been so far this season. Sadly, the Dutch contingent of Van Dijk, Gakpo and Gravenberch all struggled to truly impress vs Poland (Frimpong did not play due to injury).
Adding to his concerns, big-money signing Florian Wirtz also drew criticism as he ghosted through Germany’s 2-0 win over Luxembourg without catching the eye in any meaningful way. The Reds return to action next Saturday (22 November), hosting Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.