Dominik Szoboszlai

[SB]

Possibly 2 weeks rehab coming up.

[Exiled_red]

Yeah confirmed he had was feeling his hamstring when we took him off.

[SB]

Yeah he was definitely holding his hammy when he walked off but hopefully not too bad.

[danperkins]

Seemed like he pulled a hammer. Might be a good thing for him to rest up, as he's had a bit of a nightmare last month or so.

[SB]

He looked really angry about something at the end of the game. I wonder if he's got a bit of an arrogant streak about him?

I just rewatched the end to check it out. He was in discussions ( with a back room staff member I ass use it was ) but didn’t look angry & then he went on the field full of smiles & hugs, especially for Curtis but also everyone else so I’m not sure what you think you saw.

[Norbs]

He looked really angry about something at the end of the game. I wonder if he's got a bit of an arrogant streak about him?

[SB]

He’s back

[Sus]

Interesting article from The Athletic on Dom's struggles, though it for some reason doesn't touch on passing accuracy (not sure if the stats images copy and paste correctly, sorry)

What’s up with Dominik Szoboszlai – and what can Liverpool do about it?
By Andy Jones
Dec 20, 2023

Dominik Szoboszlai is human after all.

After three scintillating months to begin his Liverpool career where everything he touched turned to gold, things have become trickier in recent weeks.
Szoboszlai, 23, had been Anfield’s marathon man, having played every minute of the club’s first 10 Premier League games, but in five of the last seven, he has been substituted with over 15 minutes remaining and games still in the balance.

The first notable sign of a drop-off was against Luton Town last month. He was not the only one to struggle but he has not found form since, with an impressive display in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford now looking like an outlier.

There is no need for anyone at the club to panic, but Szoboszlai is enduring a dip. So what might be behind it?

How good was Szoboszlai at the start of the season – and how much has he dropped off?
Szoboszlai’s first few appearances for Liverpool suggested the club had found a new midfield talisman.

With his incredible athleticism, matched with pace, power and technical excellence, he was at the heart of everything good about Jurgen Klopp’s team in and out of possession.

In terms of style, there were legitimate comparisons being drawn with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, with fans coming to expect excellence as a matter of course.

The test was whether it was sustainable — and in recent weeks the going has been much tougher. Liverpool aren’t at their most fluent and there is no coincidence that Szoboszlai’s drop in form is linked to it.

It is instructive to compare Szoboszlai’s data recorded in his opening 10 league appearances against his last seven, starting from that Luton game.

How Szoboszlai's form has dipped
1ST 10 GAMES
PER 90 MINUTES IN PL
LAST 7 GAMES
100
% mins played
81.9
0.1
Goals
0.17
0.2
Assists
0
2.5
Chances created
1.22
0.07
Expected goals
0.14
8.9
Progressive carries
6.8
6.7
Passes into fnal third
4.01
2.1
Shots
1.92
0.5
Shots on target
0.7
2.4
Touches in opp box
1.92
83.9
Touches
74.13
0.8
Possession won final third
1.05
1.4
Tackles
1.4
0.7
Interceptions
0.35
2.9
Dribbles
1.74

It is far from a crisis and Szoboszlai is still contributing to performances, but there has been a decline in most of the key metrics — from getting on the ball to his creativity and attacking dynamism. He has not registered an assist since October 29, and has just one goal since September 3.

His out-of-possession numbers are still good, with the exception of his interceptions. He is winning possession in the opposition’s final third more (up to 1.05 per 90 minutes from 0.8) and he is still attempting the same number of tackles per 90 (1.4), but his decline in interceptions (down to 0.35 from 0.7 per 90) may suggest he is lacking the energy to be in the right position to block passing lanes as he was earlier in the campaign.

What could be behind his struggles?

The most likely reason is fatigue. Szoboszlai started the campaign like a train and it was always unlikely he was going to maintain that level over a long season.
Liverpool are still learning about him and his physical capabilities, and Szoboszlai is adapting to English football. When looking at his touch maps, he is spending a lot more time in wide areas on the right.

Compare this to earlier in the season and his touch map is more balanced, lining up with how much influence he was having across the pitch, compared to recent weeks when a lot of his touches have been out wide or across the edge of the box.

Liverpool are doing a lot of things right in possession, but they are not creating as consistently as they did earlier in the season when the attack was purring. Szoboszlai played a key role in that.

The right-hand side combination of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah formed a strong relationship immediately and there was a lot of fluidity in their play. That has taken a backwards step in recent games and the combination play is not clicking in the same way.

What could be the solution?

Rest is the most obvious answer, but in the most intense period of the season and with Alexis Mac Allister out injured, Klopp will be hoping that he can play himself out of his dip in form.

One option is altering his position and moving him to the left-sided No 8 role, which he played during pre-season. It could help solve the issue of being too wide and get him back into the areas where he is at his most dangerous.

Patience is important, for Szoboszlai and Liverpool fans. Inconsistency was to be expected as he continues to learn about the Premier League and assistant manager Pep Lijnders is not concerned about his long-term prospects.

“He’s 23,” Lijnders said yesterday. “He’s so young. We are really happy that he made an impact already. We know what he is capable of. The only way to come back to the standards he has is to work harder — to work better, to train better.

“He has rhythm from constantly playing games. I’m not saying that he’s not (working hard). He has this character that he wants to show, he wants to be important for the team. As long as he keeps that and he fights and the team around him is stable, he will come back to his best.

“We have already seen what he’s capable of and that’s something we need. Last year everyone was saying we needed to renew our midfield with new boys. Now we have new boys. There will always be difficult phases in a season — less top moments — but we’re really happy he’s with us.”

[Exiled_red]

If the choice is only between those two, then Szobo has to be a no brainer as he often plays in the wide positions for Hungary and is good on either flank.

Have a feeling that Klopp will use neither at RM though during the AFCON and instead either play one of our left sided attackers or Nunez at RM.

Surely he will go with 3 from Diaz, Nunez, Gakpo and Jota (who should hopefully be back by then) as the front 3.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Some drop off in form for big Dom, be interesting to see if Klopp plays him or Elliot in Mo's slot when AFCON is on.

If the choice is only between those two, then Szobo has to be a no brainer as he often plays in the wide positions for Hungary and is good on either flank.

Have a feeling that Klopp will use neither at RM though during the AFCON and instead either play one of our left sided attackers or Nunez at RM.

[Harv]

He's been run into the ground already

[danperkins]

Some drop off in form for big Dom, be interesting to see if Klopp plays him or Elliot in Mo's slot when AFCON is on.

[Mr Pink]

I feel like his form turned to ****e right after that interview where he said he heard of players at the club in recent seasons, who were happy to sit on the bench… I wonder did he rustle a few feathers with that one…

[Norbs]

He'd look better if he was played in his correct position

[Buzzo]

He’s been poor on the ball but he still runs all day - will never shirk the work

Yeah he always fronts up. Never gets the ball in space and seems to have lost a bit of edge.