Szoboszlai too smart casual as Liverpool sleepwalk into stodge | OneFootball

In a galaxy not far, far away – last season, actually – Liverpool were a very effective football team. They stormed Old Trafford in Arne Slot’s third game, winning 3-0, and suddenly a Klopp-less world looked a lot more enticing. The Dutchman was emboldened enough to aim fire at the players despite a perfect start.

That included Luis Diaz, who scored two, but didn’t track back. A very naughty boy, just like Jarell Quansah, who got wrenched off on the first day of term, mown over by the Tractor Boys. Slot probably also had a word in the ear of Dominik Szoboszlai for something he did – or didn’t do – when Liverpool were coasting against Ten Hag’s Keystone Cops. The Hungarian was eight yards out with the goal gaping, but decided that was way too obvious.

He played silly buggers instead, trying to dribble it in. D’oh.

“He’s messing about there. He should be absolute rollicked by the rest of his teammates for that. That’s a liberty. Something like that I’d call unprofessional,” raged Gary Neville on comms.

It also set off Jamie Carragher: “What is he doing? Is he trying to be cocky? That’s ridiculous, that, from Szoboszlai. That’s just ridiculous.”

Liverpool’s player of the 2025/26 campaign has always carried an air of insouciance but tends to resort to a playground of tricks when the pragmatic option isn’t sexy enough.

That “unprofessional” and “disrespectful” accusation came back to haunt the 25-year-old during a week in which he tried to backheel a ball two yards from his own goal in the FA Cup tie against the 17th-placed team in League One. Liverpool were two up at the time. It completely reshaped the mood around a game which Barnsley could easily have taken to extra time. There’s less wiggle room for p***ing about in Liverpool’s current predicament; taking the foot off the gas and reversing over all the good work isn’t what champions are made of.

Anyone can miss a penalty. And Szoboszlai did exactly that against Burnley on Saturday, smashing it against the bar. His reaction was curious in that there was none. He immediately started running after the object ball as if on autopilot. That sense of disappointment was almost extinguished.

Was it embarrassment? Was it carry on regardless in this monotone Anfield ambience? He was certainly bothered at the end, remonstrating with the referee.

There’s a creeping sense that things are getting to him. The acts of self-sabotage are now endemic in the team. Even when the Florian Wirtz roadshow is getting up to speed, someone crashes into the rear end. Talking of rear ends, Ibou Konate’s legs continue to be compromised. Alisson also went down like a sack of potatoes for Marcus Edwards’ goal.

When Liverpool won their maiden Premier League title, Pep Lijnders spoke of Alisson’s humility. “I heard him say to all the team ‘guys, no arrogance here, we have to be humble. When we have to run, we run. When we have to be together, we are together’.”

Szoboszlai has done a lot of running. His only rest was by accident rather than design after picking up a fifth yellow card against Tottenham. The performance against the Clarets was steeped in stodge, slowing down ball recycling when the fans wanted his high-speed train coverage. Szoboszlai in slow motion doesn’t work in a side that sleepwalks through matches.

His greatest running man moment was at the Etihad last season as Liverpool put one hand on the Premier League trophy. The collapse to the ground on 90 minutes felt like Adam Lallana falling into the arms of Jurgen Klopp in the German’s first outing.

This new Liverpool is a curious mix of old boys and excitable freshers. There are signs of life from the new batch, but there’s also a sense that the prefects are finding it tough to grind out this league season. Fourth isn’t interesting enough and rolling up the sleeves to fight it out against United, Newcastle and Chelsea is below them. Not anymore.

Virgil van Dijk admitted that Liverpool “started to become sloppy and it’s not the first time” at the weekend. Their star man needs to drop the party tricks further staining the red carpet.