Dominik Szoboszlai’s Growing Influence In Liverpool’s Number 10 Role | OneFootball

By Imraan Adam

When Dominik Szoboszlai signed for Liverpool in a cool £60 million transfer in the summer of 2023 it was a clear indication of the Liverpool rebuild, as Liverpool 2.0 began to take shape. Gone were the days of Henderson and Milner’s workman-like midfield as it was clear that Jurgen Klopp was moving towards a more creative approach from the middle of the park and the Hungarian, Szoboszlai, was going to play an instrumental role in Klopp’s new-look midfield.

Szoboszlai’s start at Anfield got off to a dream start, a goal in the second home match of the season cemented his place in the heart of the Liverpool midfield and a stunning 25-yard strike at the Kop End against Leicester in the Carabao Cup left Liverpool fans drooling at the prospect of what their new number 8 could achieve, However despite Szoboszlai’s remarkable start at Liverpool things began to dwindle around the Christmas period. An injury in January and a loss form meant Szoboszlai soon found himself starting from the bench, and with Harvey Elliott beginning to impress on the right-hand side of midfield people were beginning to wonder if Szoboszlai’s flying start for the Reds had been a flash in the pan. At the end of last season, Szoboszlai had notched up 7 goals and 4 assists, which wasn’t bad for his first season in England. However, when you think that most of those numbers were recorded in the first half of the season Szboszlai’s drop-off was a source of worry for fans and pundits going into the new season.

With Jurgen Klopp leaving and Liverpool announcing that Arne Slot was taking the helm fans began to realise that this would mean a change in formation for Liverpool. Instead of the 4-3-3 formation that we got used to under Klopp, Slot was known for using a 4-2-3-1 system which would mean Liverpool would be operating with a number 10 for the first time in over 9 years and straight away questions began to emerge about who would be the best fit for the role. Obviously Szoboszlai was mentioned in the conversation along with Harvey Elliott and maybe Curtis Jones. After a good pre-season and going into the first game of the new Arne Slot era it looked like Elliott was going to get the nod in that number 10 role, but when the team sheet came out against Ipswich back in August fans were surprised to see Szoboszlai’s name in the number 10 position. The Hungarian was at the heart of everything good that Liverpool did in that opening game, he topped the game off with an assist for Mo Salah and on the whole looked very impressive.

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This season Szoboszlai has gone from strength to strength, his ability to link the midfield and the forward line together as well as his energy and creativity in the final third has been a big factor in why Liverpool have been so successful this season. But it is not just his ability on the ball that is impressive, his work rate off it has been exceptional this season, Szoboszlai is often the one to start the press and his instinct to go and win the ball back for Liverpool has contributed to this amazing run that Liverpool are on.

Furthermore, his pace and athleticism allow him to get back and cover for other players, especially in that right-back position where we know Trent often vacates, Szoboszlai will more often than not get back and plug the hole to make sure that if Liverpool loses the ball the opponent cannot counter down our right side as we saw so often last season. I also think he has benefitted from rotating with Curtis Jones, a big reason why he dropped off so dramatically last season was because he was playing game after game in the first half of the season, by the time January came around he looked absolutely tired and was running on empty. This year he’s been able to have rest by being rotated and I think that this break is a contributing factor as to why we are now seeing the best of Szoboszlai.

It is no coincidence that Liverpool’s drop in form has coincided with Szboszlai being out of the team either through suspension or illness, Liverpool has missed his athleticism and energy, especially in the final third and because of this we have really struggled to break teams down. This weekend against Brentford, Szoboszlai was back to his best, in the first half he was running the show, hitting the bar with a long-range effort as well as coming close again by dancing his way through the defence only for him not to be able to get the power that he needed on the short. Even in the second half, he was a constant threat, running at the back line every chance he’s got even though he wasn’t on the pitch when Liverpool finally got the breakthrough his contribution to the game cannot be ignored.

There is no doubt that if Liverpool can keep the Hungarian fit and healthy and he can keep producing the performances that we know he can, Szoboszlai is going to play a vital part in whatever success Liverpool has this season, and we all hope that at the end of the season, he has at least two winner medals to add to his collections.

“HE HAS ALL THE KEY ATTRIBUTES” – DUTCH FOOTBALL WRITER ON LIVERPOOL LINKED JORELL HATO

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Although many will point to the number of Salah, the excellence of Van Dijk or even the revelation of Gravenberch, there can be no doubt that the man dubbed ‘Szobo’ can be and is a driving force in the Liverpool midfield.

Both Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott will stake their own claims to being the number one choice when it comes to the number 10 position for The Reds, however, given the extra physicality Slot clearly likes in the middle of the pitch, the Hungarian captain appears to have the edge right now.

If Szoboszlai can continue on this trajectory and add more goal involvements to his game then Liverpool will have a true monster in all sense of the word in their ranks.