What Italian media said about Ryan Gravenberch sums up Liverpool transformation

Player ratings. Everyone loves player ratings. Well, apart from the players themselves when are they awarded a mark they deem is below their level of performance.

Now we doubt there were any such problems with the members of the Liverpool squad last night who glanced at Paul Gorst's ratings for the impressive 3-1 Champions League win over AC Milan in the San Siro.

There were 7s and 8s aplenty and even a 9 for Cody Gakpo, who marked his return to the Reds' starting line-up with a vibrant display that more than justified Arne Slot's decision to include his fellow Dutchman instead of the in-form Luis Diaz.

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However, the Italian media were not quite as impressed. Or perhaps like their colleagues at L'Equipe in France - who are notoriously low markers - they are just harder to please.

Milan-based Corriere della Sera also picked out Gakpo as Liverpool's best performer. However, they only awarded him a rating of 7.5, although caveating that with this glowing write up: "Among the best at the European Championship with Holland, he continues to amaze: high quality, high speed."

Also continuing to amaze is another of the Reds' Netherlands internationals, Ryan Gravenberch. The midfielder was hailed by his manager after the match while in our own player ratings, he received a mark of 8.

But the Corriere della Sera plumped for 6, albeit with this very apt description of a player who has made the No.6 position in the Liverpool line-up his own: "Running and stage presence: he raises a wall, complete with moat and barbed wire."

Alisson Becker also got a 6 with his performance hilariously summed up as this: "A goal without fault, then he just gets bored."

In front of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold (a "relentless toll-taker") and goalscorers Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk ("The man of providence is not only a master of defence: he finds the goal with a pure bomber's shot. Eclectic.") all received a 7. But for "careless" Kostas Tsimikas, it was a 5.5.

Into midfield and the "zigzagging" Alexis Mac Allister was handed a 6 while for Dominik Szoboszlai - "AC Milan's forbidden dream in the summer of 2020, he is ruthless in the hat-trick" - it was a 6.5.

That was the same score as Mohamed Salah - "Not blessed with luck: a regular at the crossbar, which he hits twice. The best is behind him, but what a player, Momo" - and better than Diogo Jota (5.5), who according to the publication, "left his killer instinct at home."

As for Reds head coach Slot himself? Corriere della Sera gave him a 7, saying: "Full victory, deserved, from a great team: the fear lasts a quarter of an hour, then it's a lesson in play. The running-in is not complete, but the newly retired Klopp can rest easy: his dear Liverpool is in good hands."

In comparison, his counterpart, under-pressure AC Milan boss, Paulo Fonseca, was awarded a rating of just 4.5. His players did not fare much better either. The Corriere della Sera may be expecting a phone call.