Arne Slot will be looking to bring the best out of Dominik Szoboszlai this season and he has two solutions that could do the trick.
For a few brief moments in pre-season we saw the best of what Szoboszlai can offer.
The Hungarian scored the opening goal of the Arne Slot era in Liverpool’s first pre-season game against Real Betis by doing something we rarely saw from him last season – making a run inside the opposition’s penalty area.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Szoboszlai showed glimpses of what he can do going forward but was often reduced to closing the spaces around Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah, rather than delivering the active offensive threat he is very much capable of providing.
Against Betis, Liverpool saw that threat at its best with Szoboszlai bursting into the box and finishing off a chance perfectly orchestrated by Salah.
Speaking after the game, Szoboszlai admitted he wanted to make those runs more often during the upcoming season.
“Last year it didn’t happen so often so I just always let him know I’m always ready to [make] these runs. Hopefully you’re going to see me [do that] in the season a couple of times,” Szoboszlai told LFC TV.
It felt like Szoboszlai beginning anew and playing with more freedom, but merely a few days later he was back playing in a more reserved role against Arsenal.
Slot instructed Szoboszlai to play in the makeshift No. 6 role and while the Hungarian impressed and is happy to play anywhere on the pitch for Liverpool, This Is Anfield understands his preference is to play further forward.
How Slot wants his midfielders to play
Szoboszlai will be pleased to know it’s also where Slot prefers him to play, based on the Dutchman’s selection process in the last few weeks.
After playing as a holding midfielder against Arsenal, Szoboszlai was back in the more advanced role against Sevilla, once again recording a goal contribution to set up Luis Diaz‘s second goal of the Reds’ penultimate pre-season game.
Against Ipswich in Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture, Szoboszlai played the more advanced role and performed to a high standard.
He played a key role in providing a pass that deflected into Salah’s path for Liverpool’s second goal of the game.
Overall, he created three chances in the match which was the joint highest according to FotMob. He also misplaced just four passes of the 43 he attempted and looked threatening, particularly in the second-half.
Speaking after the game, Szoboszlai was in good spirits and explained Slot’s big tactical change in detail.
“Well we played differently a little bit,” he told LFC TV when asked what Slot wants from his midfield.
“Because [before] we played with one No. 6 and two No. 8s, with one of the No. 8s dropping as a No. 6.
“Now we play with one No. 8, one No. 6 and one No. 10, and I had the role of the No. 10, but still sometimes I can drop, sometimes I can stay.
“It’s just different. I think I have more offensive work with the ball, but without the ball still I have to do my stuff anyway, same as last season.”
What this means is that Szoboszlai is able to play with more freedom on the pitch.
Under Klopp, he was restricted and often had to look out for his teammates but Slot has released that burden and has liberated him to operate in areas where he can maximise his best qualities – among them being his ability to create chances and make an impact in the final third.
In Szoboszlai’s last season at RB Leipzig, he made 111 shot-creating-actions from open play in all competitions for the club as per FBref.
This was the most anyone created from open play at Leipzig by a long distance, with Christopher Nkunku coming second in the statistic with 77.
In comparison at Liverpool, Szoboszlai ranked just fourth in the metric last season (94), with much of that having to do with just how reserved he was at times in his No. 8 role.
Another interesting caveat from the Ipswich game is that as per Wyscout,
Szoboszlai recorded two or more through passes in a single game just four times last season.
At Leipzig in his final season, Szoboszlai managed the same output in 14 matches.
These are still early days but it feels like Slot is starting to understand the Hungarian’s strengths and in turn Liverpool are finally getting the best version of Szoboszlai – the version fans have been hoping to see consistently since his arrival last summer.
