Why Dominik Szoboszlai is perfect for Liverpool

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Amidst all the rumours of Liverpool’s potential incomings this summer, the Reds have opted for a move few saw coming. Much has been made about Liverpool’s need to rebuild their midfield, but few would have predicted that they’d bring in two attack-minded midfielders into the team, both of whom are capable playing further forward than the central midfielders they previously had at their disposal. Dominik Szoboszlai is the latest man to make his move, with the Reds acquiring the Leipzig midfielder for a fee of €70 million.

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Without ever fully setting the Bundesliga on fire, Szoboszlai had two solid seasons at Leipzig, hitting a high of 6 goals and 8 assists in 31 matches last campaign, primarily playing as a ’10’. Liverpool must be confident however that the Hungarian midfielder can make his mark at the centre of the park, perhaps even as they continue to push Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield alongside Fabinho, thus creating more opportunity to have roaming attacking midfielders like Mac Allister and Szoboszlai ahead. With that, here is why Liverpool made their move for the Hungarian, and what he brings to the Reds.

Positioning + Role

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Throughout his time with Leipzig and Salzburg, Dominik Szoboszlai played primarily as a ’10’ or on either wing. The Red Bull shapes frequently centred around either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2, meaning Szoboszlai rarely had the chance to show his potential as an outside central midfielder in a three or four-man midfield.

Instead, he worked best pulling the strings in behind a striker, working to combine in tight spaces with his neat and tidy teammates. Now having existed in the Red Bull system for several years, the Hungarian should make for a perfect and relentless presser to enter the fold at Liverpool.

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But what stands out within Szoboszlai’s play remains his on-the-ball quality. This is encouraging given that Alexis Mac Allister spikes so nicely when it comes to off-the-ball movement and spatial awareness. The two attacking midfielders could prove to provide a nice balance, and the Hungarian’s role could grow into one that becomes deeper over time.

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That’s because the 22-year-old accomplishes feats on the ball not normally associated with elite wingers. Szoboszlai completed 80% of his long passes in 2022-23, more than Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, and even Thiago Alcantara. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a better long passer of the ball, but what it does mean is that he is capable pulling strings from deep and setting the tempo of matches more than what might be perceived on first glance.

Then going forward into the height of the attack, Szoboszlai ranks in the top 10% of attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues on shot-creating actions per 90 (5.1) and completed almost double the successful attacking actions than his new Liverpool teammates (4.18 to Mac Allister’s 2.64).

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This all makes Szoboszlai not only an exciting prospect for the Reds, but one that like Alexis Mac Allister, could fulfill a number of different roles and positions. If the Reds keep their traditional 4-3-3 shape, it’s expected that the 22-year-old will make his mark on the right side of their midfield trio. While he featured from the left at times for RB Salzburg, Szoboszlai always looked more comfortable as a right-sided player for Leipzig.

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This means that Alexis Mac Allister could become the aggressor down the other side, helping to make up for some of what Jordan Henderson normally brings to the team from the right-hand-side.

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The one dilemma in starting with Szoboszlai deeper on the field is that he’s yet to fulfill such a role for either club or country. Perhaps given the zones that he often received the ball in 2022-23, Szoboszlai miscontrolled more than all of his new midfield teammates, on 2.1 per 90. His numbers in that regard are fairly consistent with Liverpool’s attackers, but they too would take an adjustment period if immediately entering the midfield.

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This means that a focus on the Hungarian’s ball retention and ability to play under pressure in central areas could be critical within Liverpool’s pre-season preparation if they are to stick with a traditional 4-3-3.

But now with the addition of both players in tandem, it’s looking even more likely that Klopp will continue Liverpool’s 3-2-2-3 (WM) system in 2023-24. This should see Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho at the base of the midfield, with two advanced attacking midfielders operating ahead.

In this formation, Szoboszlai would then be given freedom to roam in between his two favourite positions, operating up and down the right-half-spaces. This is where we would see the former Leipzig man truly shine, where he can operate in between the lines and create chances in the final third.

In what could become Liverpool’s third-choice formation, Szoboszlai would make for an excellent option as either the ’10’ or right-winger in a 4-2-3-1. He’s ideal at springing to life on counter attacks and using his speed to drive forward, which would make him a natural outlet to use in the immediacy of attacking transitions before releasing the ball onto Liverpool’s most dangerous players later on.

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So while it might be a departure from the days of Jordan Henderson, Dominik Szoboszlai should be set to shine this season as a versatile option for the Reds regardless of formation.

Attacking Principles

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One notable component of Szoboszlai’s game is how astutely he locates pockets of space to receive the ball. Through tiny close-control touches, he can then maneuver that space superbly. Although he may not be a high-volume progressive carrier, the Hungarian is capable of putting together skillful runs through compact areas of the pitch. This benefits the central midfield role he’s expected to play for the Reds, where he’ll be calm under pressure as Liverpool progress through the thirds.

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Despite having a similar number of touches in each third as the likes of Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, Klopp’s new signing is far braver when dribbling, with nearly the same amount of successful take on’s per 90 as the two of them put together last season (4.5 dribbles per 90 according to Wyscout). He’s completely willing to take players on and drive forward at speed, giving the Reds more options as to how they can break lines when progressing through the thirds.

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But what truly separates Szoboszlai from the rest of Liverpool’s midfield options is his ability to create in the final third. Trent Alexander-Arnold remains a fantastic creator from deep, set-pieces, or from crossing situations. But Liverpool have lacked a genuine creator from central attacking channels for a few years now, with Roberto Firmino perhaps the closest comparison.

Only Trent surpassed Szoboszlai’s number of key passes (2.6), and expected assists (0.3) in 2022-23, with the Hungarian beating the Liverpool full-back on shot-creating actions (5.5) and goal-creating actions (0.63) due to that advanced role. Again, this simply gives the Reds more of a creative outlet from a number of areas on the field, where the burden doesn’t have to fall to Trent and Salah in the creation of chances.

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With those numbers in mind, not many midfielders on the planet possess all three faculties of dribbling, passing and shooting to the elite level as Szoboszlai. What unifies those skillsets is his adept decision-making, where he’s often been asked to play on a one-touch and in tight areas within Leipzig’s attacking schemes. In a 3-2-2-3 shape, his ability to connect with those around him in a similar vein may again become crucial.

Finally, his ball-striking technique is spectacular. A clean and precise striker from any distance, Szoboszlai hit the target with nearly 50% of his attempts in 2022-23, surpassing all but Matip and Firmino among regular starters for the Reds.

^{RELATED: Investigating Ball-Striking by John Zuidema}

This should lead to an increase in goals from central/attacking midfield, where Liverpool have historically lacked quality.

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All and all, Szoboszlai adds more attacking dynamism to a team that has often lacked a ’10’ to create chances from central channels high up the pitch. He’ll evidently need to grow into a deeper role if Liverpool are to persist with a 4-3-3, but the diamond midfield seems like a match made in heaven for the Hungarian.

Defensive Principles

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For any Liverpool player, it’s also important that they combine an attacking presence with an ability to immediately counter-press after losing the ball. Being part of the Leipzig and Salzburg systems, Szoboszlai will be well familiar with principles around gegnenpressing.

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Understanding when to press is just as important as how to press and Liverpool lost some of this extra bite when Sadio Mané departed. Szoboszlai’s positional awareness led to a stellar 1.58 blocks per 90 in 2022-23, better than all Liverpool midfielders and 90% of players in Europe’s top five leagues.

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At Leipzig, he managed the key job of leading a systematic and aggressive zonal-oriented press from the front. This compares well to Klopp’s style of pressing, with the two advanced midfielders repeatedly initiating the press as the ball approaches their zone.

They can then follow this through with bundles of energy in the same way reached with Jordan Henderson, thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s ability to match that intensity. The Hungarian even beat the Liverpool captain on possession-adjusted interceptions (5.5 to 4.4) in 2022-23, while achieving a higher defensive duelling success rate (56% to 49%). In that sense, the right-side of central midfield is a great match for the Liverpool captain.

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The demands of the Premier League title race simply produces more pressure on a player to perform at those persistently high levels, but all the signs point to Szoboszlai’s ability to handle that pressure and rise to the occasion.

Conclusion

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From having Steven Gerrard quoted on his arm to smashing the fitness tests on the first day of pre-season, Dominik Szoboszlai truly is a perfect fit for the Reds. In all seriousness, the Hungarian has the intensity, brain and technical quality to thrive at the highest level even if the Premier League and positional shifts take some getting used to. The Hungarian simply adds so much attacking quality in different ways from what others currently offer at the club, making him an excellent signing even if nearly double the price as Alexis Mac Allister. As Liverpool rebuild their midfield heading into this new era, we can’t wait to see both players operate together!

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Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more articles from the mind of Charlie Ellis. For more on this busy transfer market season also be sure to check out…

-> Why Alexis Mac Allister is perfect for Liverpool
-> Why Mason Mount is perfect for Manchester United
-> Replacing Declan Rice at West Ham United – Tactical Analysis

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