Ryan Babel interview: Kop can’t pop title champagne even if they beat City on Sunday

In an exclusive interview with Instant Casino, former Dutch winger Ryan Babel says Arne Slot’s Liverpool won’t have the Premier League title in the bag, even if they beat Man City this weekend.

The former Liverpool winger also backs Virgil van Dijk to sign a new Liverpool deal and ranks him as one of the two best CBs in Premier League history

Premier League observations

Question: There’s been a few twists and turns already this season. City’s slump continues. If you’re talking about the title race, is there going to be one after Liverpool opened up an 8 point lead this weekend? 

Ryan Babel: “I don’t think we (Liverpool) should celebrate anything at this point. I think Manchester City have shown and proven over many years that they can always recover a lead and that they have the ability to catch fire again. Once they catch fire then there’s almost no stopping them. 

I don’t think we should rule City out of the title race. In Liverpool’s last game, OK, they probably deserved to win, but they had a little bit of luck with the penalty too. The margins are extremely tight in the Premier League.  

Liverpool are in great shape; in great form and I believe they will still win many games. However, it’s also a very long season, and it’s possible that Liverpool can drop points here and there. I still think we should keep our feet on the ground and see where we are in February. Let’s keep the champagne on ice.”

The race for the top four looks like it will be extremely tight. Who do you fancy to take that fourth-place spot this season? 

Ryan Babel: “Usually, it rotates between clubs over the years, and it changes. There is normally one team that dominates the title, and in my time, Man United were dominating. There was a time when Chelsea was dominating, now it’s Man City. Before, it was Arsenal.

The same thing happens with the top four, even more so these days as the level of the Premier League continued to improve. I think you could convincingly say that there are maybe seven or eight clubs that could have finish in the top four, and that wasn’t always the case. 

Brighton have played great football over the last few years, with a lot of nice players. I think they’ve been great for the Premier League, and I would love to see them get into the Champions League and see how they could equip themselves at that level. They’ve got a great young manager there and they have been one of the surprise packages of the season. They deserves to be where they are, and I hope it continues.” 

If you had to name one player that has really stood out for you this season, your star man of the Premier League so far, who would it be and why? 

Ryan Babel: “There are many talented players that have caught my eye this season, but, if I had to name one, I would choose Cole Palmer at Chelsea. I like his attitude; I like his flair and I’m very curious where he can take his game over the coming years and how much more he can improve.  

He’s a very gifted player. I love to watch him. The sky is the limit for Palmer if he keeps his head on his shoulders.”

Who do you consider to be the best wide attacking players in the Premier League at this moment in time? 

Ryan Babel: “Mo Salah obviously is definitely up there. With every year he gets older, you wonder when will his level drop, but it never seems to. He is a world-class player that continues to deliver season after season. 

I like Saka from Arsenal as well. I like his flair. I like his mentality. Like Palmer, I’m watching Saka closely and wondering how he will develop over the next few years.” 

If you had to name a flop, or a player that you’ve expected more from, who would it be and why? 

Ryan Babel: “If you’re talking about players that may not have shone as brightly as in previous season, you’re usually drawn to those playing for the bigger teams and the big stars. Players that have shown in previous seasons how great they are, and then you want to see if they can outdo themselves. I’m going to put Erling Haaland in that category. 

Of course, he’s scoring his goals, but, in his third season, you want to see him improve his overall game. I want to see what else he can bring to his game other than goals. I want to see his technique in terms of bringing others into play, passing, holding the ball-up. 

Yes, he’s scoring, but I’ve played in teams where the striker scores a lot of goals, but they were not necessarily playing well or were good for their team.

Knowing Pep, I’m sure he is challenging Haaland to try and improve in other areas. City haven’t been fluent this season and Haaland doesn’t help improve the fluidity of the team. 

I know he’s still scoring load of goals, but I think we can also expect more from him. There have been some games where he has been anonymous during City’s bad run of form. 

He’s still a young player, and often we forget that because a lot of these players have already accomplished so much. I’m curious to see how he will improve in the next few years because if he could sharpen up elements of his game, he would without doubt be the best striker in the world.” 

Premier League headlines

Pep Guardiola signed a new two-year contract with Manchester City this week. Were you surprised by that and how do you think City’s rivals would have reacted to that news? 

Ryan Babel: “To be honest, I don’t think that any of City’s rivals would have been pulling their hair out about Pep signing a new contract, I think it’s quite the opposite. If I translate it back to being an athlete, as an athlete you always look up to players that you’re trying to compete with or trying to be better than and I think the best managers in the Premier League will have that mindset. They will see it as a great challenge. 

I can imagine a manager like Arteta, who of course has been a protege of Pep, wants to prove that he can and could potentially be better than Pep. I think they will like the fact that he is staying, so they have at least another season to try and outperform him.”

Paul Pogba has been linked to a return to the Premier League in the New Year. Do you think he would be a good addition for a Premier League club as a free transfer? 

Ryan Babel: “Yes, I think Paul Pogba could be a good addition for a Premier League club. The only question is which team. I think he could deliver for teams like Fulham, the teams where the pressure is not as high as Man United.

Not for the fact that he could not handle that pressure, but simply because I think there will be too much pressure on him. He’d be in the spotlight if he joined one of the top four teams. I think you know with all the trauma and things that he’s experienced; I think for him it would be good to join a team that doesn’t necessarily have the pressure to win the title. Then he could very quickly be one of the main stars and establish himself as a top-level player again. He would stand out in a team like that.  

He hasn’t played football in a long time. It’s not easy to come back in at that level, it won’t be easy for him, but of course he has the talent to do it.” 

Ryan’s career and connections

Who was the best player that you ever played with and what made them so good? 

Ryan Babel: “It’s not a secret. I’ve always said and put Steven Gerrard at number one.

Steven Gerrard was for me the ultimate, the best player I’ve personally played with.

I was fortunate to experience him in his prime. It was incredible to see how he would train and at the end also play. It was always a comfortable feeling knowing that you had Steven Gerard in your team. It gave so much calmness and focus to the rest of the team.

I’ve played with many great, great players. I was amazed how Mascherano would train, he always gave 110%. These players were incredible to be around, and I learned so much from them as a youngster. 

They all helped me elevate my own game. They all helped me understand the other side of football, the fact that you are not always allowed to play very nice football. 

Often, you would play against teams where you had to show fighting spirit, you had to show strength, and I was used to being at Ajax, where 90% of the time you’re dominating, winning 4-0 every game. It wasn’t like that in the Premier League.” 

Who was the toughest opponent that you ever faced? 

Ryan Babel: “It would actually be a lot of the unknown defenders, some guys that I may not even remember their names, who always gave me a tough time.

Why? Because you simply didn’t know anything about them. You would play against top teams, for example, Arsenal had Eboue playing right-back. You know his quality; you know his weaknesses. So even though he was good, even though it was a tough game, you still were able to anticipate his movements.

Then you play against – with respect – Portsmouth away and you find yourself against a defender that you might not even know directly, and he gives you a horrible game.

To give a big name, I remember playing against Inter Milan with Liverpool, and it was the Brazilian, Maicon.”

Before you joined Liverpool, I can remember you being linked with a move to Arsenal. Did Arsenal ever make you an offer and were there other clubs that you could have joined at the time? 

Ryan Babel: “The rumours were there, the news articles were there, but Arsenal never officially reached out. There were a few teams that reached out, like Juventus, like Inter, and Liverpool. 

Eventually with Liverpool I had the best feeling. They were very consistent. They gave me the energy that they really wanted me. I’m a sensitive person when it comes to feeling that I’m really wanted, and Liverpool made me feel wanted. 

To join Arsenal, there were already a few Dutch players playing there, but the interest was not that real. It just stayed as a lot of rumours and articles. I grew up as an Arsenal fan, so it would have been a dream to play for Arsenal, but it didn’t happen.” 

If you’re looking at all-time great centre backs to have played in the Premier League, where would you put Virgil van Dijk? 

Ryan Babel: “It’s easy to forget those who’ve played in the past. I know for a fact that I probably won’t even think about a lot of these great defenders. I would definitely agree with Jamie Carragher that Virgil has to be one of the two if you’re building an all-time Premier League back four. 

As a modern-day centre back, I don’t think you can look past Virgil. He has to be recognised as one of the greatest. He is a player that defends without really making any fouls or picking up any cards. 

How many red cards has he got in his Liverpool career? Not many. If you compare that to Rio Ferdinand, John Terry or Vidic, who were outstanding, all of those guys got quite a few cards. 

I feel like Virgil van Dijk definitely changed the game of defending. He’s very neat without making unnecessary fouls and putting his team in danger. You can trust him and that’s a good thing for every team-mate around him.”

We saw Matthijs de Ligt sign for Manchester United in the summer and it would be fair to say that he has had a bit of an up and down start to life in the Premier League. Do you think he will come good and find his feet in England? 

Ryan Babel: “Matthijs de Ligt definitely has the potential to become a good player in the Premier League. I agree that sometimes, in terms of momentum, timing, also physical ability, it’s not been perfectly aligned for him and that results in you not performing as well as you can. 

He has also been struggling with some injuries. On top of that, you’re joining a team that is already in a very difficult position and has been for many years. It has not been easy for him, but I do believe that he can become a success at Man United, especially with a new coach at the club. It’s a process and it will take a bit of time. He has only been there for a few months. 

A lot needs to happen at Man United before we can really see some light at the end of the tunnel.

For de Ligt, he does have the potential, he does have the desire. He’s a great professional, he lives well, and I know he wants it, so he will definitely do everything in his power to try and reach the level and live up to the expectations that people have of him.” 

What can you tell us about Jorrel Hato? Apparently, Arsenal and Liverpool are very keen on the Ajax player. 

Ryan Babel: “As it stands right now, Jorrel Hato has a lot of potential. I do believe he has a couple of years to develop with Ajax in my opinion. He has been positioned as a left-back, which I personally don’t believe is his position. He likes to play in the middle as a left centre back. I think that is his best position. 

You can question his height. But we have seen with Martinez that height doesn’t necessarily matter. I would love to see him develop in his favourite position before he could potentially make a move. If it’s a move to the Premier League, I think he needs to get more consistent and a lot better before he would be ready.

He’s definitely one of the talents right now who has a lot of admirers across Europe.  Let’s see how he finishes this season. He’s also in the Dutch national team right now, so that’s good experience for him.” 

Liverpool

What do you make of Arne Slot’s start to the season with Liverpool?

Ryan Babel: “His first mission was to try and fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes by being his own man. I think everyone thought that the next manager to follow Klopp must be crazy, because it seems impossible.

Arne Slot, who if you believe the media, might not have been the first choice. Obviously, a lot of people outside of Holland were not really that aware of him, which is understandable. Very quickly he has been able to change a lot of minds. He has done it in a great way by not changing too much and working with the current squad.

If you look in the past, Dutch managers tend to bring the whole country, Holland, to the Premier League. They bring a lot of Dutch players without Premier League experience, and also a lot of staff, de didn’t do that. He didn’t bring any new Dutch players. He only brought Johnny Heitinga to his coaching team, and he already had Premier League experience, so that for me was a sign that things would be different with Slot. 

I know that Liverpool fans were desperate to see new players, but Slot looked at the situation and felt that he didn’t necessarily need a lot of new players, and his judgment has been proven to be right because Liverpool have shown that the squad is good enough.

Of course, they can definitely improve because Premier League seasons are always long. They will also want to stay in Europe until the end.

Every team wants to have a good squad that is recession-proof, right? Against injuries, against suspensions and I think that’s the main difference right now with Liverpool and City.

City have always had a great squad which has been recession proof. I think that’s the main difference, but overall, I think he has come in and got off to a wonderful start. 

He’s a great representative of the club, he’s been talking very well in the media and of course as a Liverpool fan and a former player, him winning with Liverpool gives us confidence. The biggest compliment that I can pay him is that we have almost forgotten about Jurgen Klopp if you know what I mean. We will never forget Klopp, but Slot hasn’t left us pining for our old manager because he has been excellent. We’re not missing Klopp, but we love him all the same.” 

Ryan Gravenberch has been a number of fans and pundits pick of Liverpool’s players. What have you made of his performances and initial development under Slot?

Ryan Babel: “I’m personally not surprised by Gravenberch’s improvement. I remember having similar interviews before he joined, talking about what type of player he was, and I gave my opinion. I said from the start, once he feels comfortable, once he feels he’s at home and he has settled, I feel like he’s going to be a great addition to Liverpool.

Under Jurgen Klopp, maybe he didn’t play as much as he wanted or as much as people hoped for. I think it was a time where Liverpool was in a certain situation where there was not a lot of room to necessarily integrate new players, or to give them time to get used to formations and tactics.

Jurgen Klopp at that time, maybe he judged that Gravenberch might need a little bit more time, and therefore was a little bit more careful with him than to put him on the spot like that.

This experience gave Gravenberch the time to really understand what was needed to play for Liverpool, and what was necessary to succeed. It helps to then have a manager who speaks your own language as well, to know the Dutch mentality.

These things are catalysts, and they have resulted in a better version of Gravenberch. 

In the summer, there was a big question mark on whether that number six position needed to be filled with a new player, but Gravenberch was performing very well in pre-season in that position. I think Arne Slot realised that it wasn’t necessary to sign a new player. I’m very happy for him and Liverpool. I think we’re going to enjoy many more years from Gravenberch.”

Cody Gakpo hasn’t been that prolific for Liverpool this season. We’ve seen him used in a number of different roles, what do you consider to be his best position? 

Ryan Babel: “I think Cody’s best position is as a left-winger. In today’s football you sometimes play against these teams where maybe different things are required for your position. 

Sometimes Liverpool can play a game where a player like Gakpo is not necessarily able to be his best when he plays. You could then argue that maybe you should play him behind the striker or as the striker. I feel like it depends on what opponent you come up against, but his versatility is also a great strength. 

Gakpo still has a lot of room to grow and to improve. He has already improved so much since the first day he stepped into Liverpool. I also expect a lot more improvement from him in the coming years.”

We all know about the futures of Virgil, Mo and Trent. What’s your feeling on those players and their Liverpool futures. Who is the most likely to stay etc.? 

Ryan Babel: “It’s a good question. I think you have two sides of things, and I would argue that Liverpool probably looks at these deals from the future perspective in terms of how long the players have left at the very top level, and also from the business side of things. 

I can only assume what’s going on behind-the-scenes. From a fan perspective, you would definitely want to see Mo Salah committing to Liverpool for as long as possible. It’s a difficult one because I’ve read that he didn’t have an offer from the club, which is surprising to hear. 

You would think that both parties would have had some type of conversation going on. Then again, I do recall at one point that Jurgen Klopp wasn’t on the same page anymore with the owners, so perhaps it’s more to do with them rather than a problem between Slot and Salah. 

If anyone is to blame, it is probably the club owners. I’m sure Arne Slot wants Salah to remain at Liverpool.”

On Virgil and Trent’s futures

Ryan Babel: “I definitely would love them both to stay. I do believe, when it comes to Virgil, I believe he is going to stay. I think for him, where does he want to go after Liverpool?

You could argue Real Madrid, but he would not go to Man City. He would not go to Arsenal. Definitely not to Man United.

For Virgil, I think he would love to keep playing for Liverpool. He’s the club captain and is such an iconic player at the club. His quality isn’t declining – he has a lot to offer. 

With Trent, of course, it’s a different story. Judging from what I see from the outside, I do believe he values being a Scouser and he has an opportunity to emulate the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. He’s already a legend of course, but he could become an immortal if he stayed. 

I’m sure he looks up and sees Steven and Jamie as great examples. If he leaves Liverpool, that should be to join a club where it makes total sense or if Liverpool were drastically underperforming and had no chance of winning silverware. That simply isn’t the case. 

I feel like Liverpool now has a great chance to win silverware in the coming years if they manage the club well.”

Liverpool vs Real Madrid

A clash between two titans. Is this a good time for Liverpool to play Real Madrid? 

Ryan Babel: “Real Madrid is vulnerable at the moment. The chances of Liverpool beating them have definitely increased – I fancy them to win against Real Madrid. 

We have seen AC Milan doing it recently. Of course, Real have proven year in, year out, that you shouldn’t count them out until the final whistle.

But again, I do believe the chances have increased for Liverpool to come out with a great result.”

Liverpool vs Man City

If City lose this game, is the title over as Pep Guardiola said?

Ryan Babel: “Pep’s just playing a strategic game. He knows he has to put the pressure on Liverpool, and then you will see City giving twice as much gas to try and beat them. Pep is not a person who gives up that easily.

It will just be a strategic chess move for him, and by making those comments, he knows that he will not get all the questions about the title race anymore if he does lose it, so then he can focus in peace to try and come back and compete.

He wants to put all the pressure on Liverpool. It’s just a game, it won’t decide who wins the Premier League title, but of course, if Liverpool win then it will definitely deliver City a significant knock.”

Arsenal

Several people have suggested that Arsenal are lacking a proper centre forward. Do you agree with that? 

Ryan Babel: “I think that could be the difference for Arsenal between winning the Premier League title. They do have good players up front, but I feel in a similar way to Liverpool, Arsenal’s No. 9 position is not a position where you are guaranteed 25 goals, unlike Man City with Haaland. 

I don’t think we should blame the striker position at Arsenal for them not winning the league or any titles. I think it’s a combination of a lot of different factors. It’s up to the coach and the club to find those elements, but the striker is one of those positions where you can definitely improve.

Respectfully, Havertz is a good player. If you compare the strikers in the past like Robin van Persie, Thierry Henry – Havertz is not in that category. He’s a good player, I’m not disrespecting, but that in my opinion is the reality.

I feel like Arsenal should still aim for those types of players and that could maybe lift them, and help the level go up a notch.”

Jurrien Timber has been solid whenever he has played for Arsenal. He has played in a number of positions – what do you think is his best? 

Ryan Babel: “Yeah, Timber is incredible, and he’s such a nice person and a good professional. I remember in my last spell at Ajax, he was in the second team, sometimes he played against the first team. We had these friendly matches against the second team where I as a No. 9 had to play against him. I was already thinking, ‘Who’s this defender? He’s so annoying.’

He’s a good reader of situations and is not easy to pass. From watching him playing, I think his best position is as a centre back. He’s very good at the build-up, he’s very calm, he reads situations very well. The centre back role, for me, that’s his best position. I know in the Premier League they’re always questioning the height of a centre back which may also be a problem for him.

He has the ability to play in multiple positions, but I do believe that centre back is his favourite position and that’s where you get the best form from him.”

Manchester United

There are several players at United with Ajax and Dutch connections. What do you think went wrong for Erik ten Hag at Man Utd?

Ryan Babel: “I experienced Ten Hag at Ajax, and he was very clear on his vision and on how he wanted to play. Over the years I’ve seen managers succeed and managers fail and that’s not because they are bad managers all of a sudden.

You have the arguments as to why it didn’t work out for him at United. Did he soend money?  Yes, he did, but I also think that he missed out on some of the players that he really, really wanted while he was at Manchester United. 

There were occasions where he couldn’t get his top targets and he had to divert to plan B, plan C. Maybe the players he was presented with couldn’t execute the type of football he wanted to play. 

I do know that he is a great coach, he has a great vision, he has a great eye for football but, again, the Premier League is a different ball game to the Dutch way of playing. It is not always suitable in the Premier League to play with those principles. 

In the Premier League, you need to be able to adapt. You need to have a plan B for strategy. I’m not sure if he had that. I think he was too wedded to his plan, and tried to make it work even when it was turning against him. That’s what I believe happened. It’s sad of course to see a fellow Dutchman go down like that, but I’m sure he will bounce back.”

Could Erik ten Hag come back to the Premier League?

Ryan Babel: “He seems like a type who wants to bounce back. Whether he gets that chance, I don’t know. But he definitely wants to prove himself.”

Fulham

Fulham are absolutely flying this season. What do you think your old club should be looking to achieve? Could they secure a place in Europe? 

Ryan Babel: “Could they get a place in Europe? As things stand, they can. Fulham, they have good momentum. I’m curious to see if they want to do something in the next window.

If they are serious about it and if they feel the team is in need of players, they should invest, right? Because now is the time. The potential is there. I’m happy to see them do well. Even though it was a small spell for me, Fulham became part of me, so I will always support and follow them. I hope one day, I can somehow be of service for them again.”

Emile Smith-Rowe looks like a man revitalised playing at Craven Cottage. We’ve seen several players sparkle when they’ve moved to the Cottage who were struggling beforehand, why is Fulham such a welcoming place? 

Ryan Babel: “When I was there, everyone of course wanted to do well. The fans wanted the players to do well. There’s a reasonable level of pressure and the players feel that, but because the players feel that they also realise that they have room to make mistakes. 

They are allowed to make mistakes, that’s when they can grow. Sometimes you have pressure at teams like Man United, where you think and feel as a player that you’re not allowed to make mistakes. Therefore, you see half the team playing within themselves. Rashford has a lot of moments where it seems that he’s not himself, and I think that’s quite the opposite at Fulham. There, players can refine themselves and find their best selves or get back to their best selves. I think that’s the power and energy that Fulham brings.”