All Aboard the Gravy Train: Comparing Rodri, Rice and Gravenberch

Get on, get on, get on, get on, get on the Gravy train

The above image absolutely sums up in one still shot how good Ryan Gravenberch is; the turn, so fast that the Ipswich player is already grimacing, and the ball under tight control but with the Dutchman’s eyes up, not down.

As a no.8 last season, Gravenberch’s data was excellent; but he was sporadically used in a dominant team, arriving late in the window, after a year of inactivity, and when in his flow, got injured when bossing the League Cup final.

But if you compare his current per-90 data as a no.6 with Rodri and Declan Rice, not only does he hold up well, he leads the way in several categories (including some pure defensive metrics).

This is when comparing Gravenberch’s 2024/25 data with the 365-day data of the other two.

(The other two haven’t dramatically changed roles in the way that he has; and both Rice and Rodri have missed around half of this season already, so their sample size for 2024/25 it is tiny, as I write this before their two teams clash; and where I can add, after, that Rodri went off early with what looked a serious knee injury and Rice was in a grim 10-man rearguard action).

Incredibly, Gravenberch absolutely dwarfs those two when it comes to some defensive metrics, as well as several ball-progressing categories.

Remember, I’m comparing the young Dutchman with two older, more experienced, peak-years and super-heralded players – as perhaps the two most talked about central midfielders in England.

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