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

Time for ‘top guy’ Gravenberch to get a PL chance?

Ryan Gravenberch stood out on Thursday during an otherwise disappointing Europa League evening at Anfield. He was rewarded with a standing ovation.

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

Lack of minutes was the problem for Gravenberch at Bayern Munich. That issue has been addressed on Merseyside but he is yet to make 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 put him in contention for the trip to Brighton on Sunday – live on Air sports.

Curtis Jones’ suspension and Cody Gakpo’s injury ensure that Gravenberch can get his chance this weekend.
Zinny Boswell

Lamptey seizes this opportunity

Brighton learns on the job in Europe. They learn to deal with the atmosphere that awaited them in one of the largest bear pits on the continent, with a history of hostility.

Roberto De Zerbi’s team did not go down when they were 2-0 behind within twenty minutes. They showed real character to get their Europa League campaign underway.

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

The Velodrome, this famous cauldron of noise and flares, was partially closed when Tottenham played here last November after a commotion between the home team and Eintracht Frankfurt supporters, but the 3,000 Brighton fans arriving at Marseille airport had their own travel problems , will return home encouraged that their European adventure may be extended into the new year.

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

Ward-Prowse impresses again after England’s criticism

West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse delivered 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 winner, with the Hammers setting a new English record of 17 consecutive European matches unbeaten with a 2-1 win over Freiburg.

Ward-Prowse’s excellent corner assist means it now totals eight goals in eight appearances since joining the Irons from Southampton for £30 million – a transfer fee that is quickly proving to be a real bargain in today’s inflated market.

His six assists and two goals in all competitions should certainly have been rewarded with a call-up from England boss Gareth Southgate, but it appears he simply doesn’t like Ward-Prowse after leaving him out of the Three Lions squad for the this month’s matches against Australia and Italy.

It’s a decision that seems completely unfair to Ward-Prowse, with Jordan Henderson, who plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, and the out-of-form Kalvin Phillips still being chosen ahead of the Hammers midfielder.

For now, however, all Ward-Prowse can do is maintain his excellent form at club level in the hope of finally winning over Southgate and potentially securing a place in next year’s European Championships.
Declan Oley

Rudderless Rangers need leadership now

A trip to Cyprus in 30 degree heat seemed like a good boost for the Rangers supporters, but their club crisis worsened.

A humbling defeat against the fifth best team in the Cypriot First Division left more questions than answers.

With Michael Beale gone, Steven Davis unfortunately took the reins and oversaw a performance devoid of quality and ideas.

The 2-1 score made the match seem closer than it was. The Rangers defense was disrupted and the midfield was constantly caught on the counter-attack.

It is believed that the club’s succession planning process for life after Beale has been in charge for several months, with an evolving list of options, will have to be better than player recruitment.

No appointment will be made before Sunday’s match at St Mirren, live Air sportsas the club is focused on finding the right fit for the long term, but that replacement is now needed sooner or later.
David Richardson

Patience pays off as McGinn helps Villa arrive in Europe

John McGinn’s last gasp saved Aston Villa from embarrassment as they powered to an uninspiring 1-0 win. It was their first group stage success in Europe since they defeated Slavia Prague in November 2008.

Villa had huffed, they had puffed and finally they had blown down the Zrinjski house. The Bosnian defense had been determined all evening but then, with two minutes of stoppage time remaining, Bertrand Traore and Matty Cash connected intelligently down the right and McGinn arrived too late to finish.

Villa Park, previously restless, was suddenly ruthless. ‘Super John McGinn’ sounded at the famous old ground where the first real European match for more than 14 years took place.

“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 was not the only coach at Villa Park on Thursday who had a charmed start at his new club. On the Zrinjski bench, Krunoslav Rendulic has been in charge for less than a year, immediately orchestrating a 14-match winning run and guiding the Mostar team to the league and cup double.

Their resilience was on display throughout 94 minutes, and given that all four teams in Group E are now on three points, this dramatic late victory could be a key moment in Villa’s progress to the knockout stages.
Ben Grounds

Dons dares to shock Europe

Aberdeen may be disappointed not to get three points against HJK Helsinki, but they are proving their worth on the European stage.

Bojan Miovski’s precise late header put the Dons on the board in Group G in a match they deserved to win.

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

Aberdeen temporarily stunned Eintracht Frankfurt in the group’s opening match by equalizing at the Waldstadion before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat.

Their fear-free approach is serving them well and must continue if they are to reach the knockout stages.