“Un-be-lievable” was how Arne Slot summed up Dominik Szoboszlai‘s affect in his Liverpool midfield, after the Hungarian scored of their 4-1 win over Ipswich.
Szoboszlai has, partly as a consequence of feedback from Slot himself, come beneath the microscope this season for his involvement in entrance of aim.
The No. 8 has been removed from prolific or significantly inventive since his arrival from RB Leipzig in 2023, with 11 targets in 74 video games for his present membership in comparison with, for instance, 15 in 51 for Hungary.
However the position he’s performing in Slot’s midfield asks greater than merely ending probabilities or laying them on for his teammates.
Although deployed as a No. 10, Szoboszlai is relied upon because the lungs in the midst of the park for Liverpool – however on Saturday, he added to that with the opening aim within the 4-1 thrashing of Ipswich.
Requested in his post-match press convention about a rise in Szoboszlai’s involvement in assault, Slot replied: “I feel that’s the event the crew is in.
“As a result of after we performed Brentford we had 37 pictures, a file within the Premier League for an away crew. After which, as a result of he’s concerned in that crew, he’ll most likely take just a few pictures then as nicely.
“So it’s us, the gamers behind the ball, bringing our attacking gamers much more in promising positions than we did at first of the season.
“Then in the event you zoom in on Dom, I feel at first of the season he would have performed that ball to Mo.
“Which was, for essentially the most half, an excellent alternative as a result of Mo can undoubtedly rating a aim as nicely!
“And now he determined to go for himself and scored the aim himself.”
Whereas Szoboszlai’s end from outdoors the field was solely his fourth in 29 video games this season, he evidently provides way more to steadiness out the dearth of finish product.
“[It was] good for him, as a result of he’s, in my view, a bit underestimated,” Slot stated of his aim.
“Not by me, however he doesn’t all the time get the credit score for the actual fact he’s crucial for this crew.
“As a result of his work charge is un-be-lievable. He simply retains on working with the very best depth and that’s so essential for a crew that desires to compete for one thing.”
With Curtis Jones at present sidelined via harm and Harvey Elliott but to be trusted as a starter within the Premier League or Champions League, there might be a heightened strain on Szoboszlai to carry out.
There ought to be no concern there, with Slot satisfied he has among the best midfielders round within the 24-year-old.
