Szoboszlai’s Wondergoal Doesn’t Answer My Liverpool Midfield Concerns

There are certain moments when Dominik Szoboszlai makes you sit there and think, what an unbelievable footballer.

His goal against Tottenham was one of them.

As soon as the ball dropped and Dom shaped himself to hit it, I wanted him to shoot. We all know what he can do from that distance and, once again, he produced something spectacular.

But I don’t want those moments to disguise a wider conversation that I think we need to have about Szoboszlai and Liverpool’s midfield.

I love Dom as a footballer. I’ve made that clear plenty of times. His talent isn’t in question for me.

I just need more from him.

Goals Cannot Be The Only Measurement

When I assess a midfielder, particularly somebody playing in the areas Dom has been occupying, I can’t simply look at goals and assists.

I want to see what happens when Liverpool lose possession.

I want to see the duels. I want to see the tracking back. I want to see somebody recognising danger and doing everything possible to stop the opposition exploiting the spaces we’re leaving behind.

That’s where I haven’t been entirely happy with Szoboszlai this season.

I’ve spoken about his body language before as well. When things aren’t going our way, I sometimes see frustration creeping in. I see the arms going up and I don’t always see the reaction I want afterwards.

I want Dom to become somebody who takes control when Liverpool are struggling.

He has the ability to produce a defence splitting pass. He can score goals that very few footballers are capable of scoring. He’s got that wand of a foot and that’s why I was happy when he signed his new contract.

But talent has never been my concern.

I want to see him impose himself on difficult games.

That is the next step for me.

Liverpool’s Midfield Balance Worries Me

This is also bigger than Szoboszlai.

I’ve been talking about Liverpool’s midfield balance for a while because I don’t think what we’re doing at the minute is sustainable.

There are enormous spaces appearing once teams get through our initial press. We’re committing players forward and asking the midfielders behind them to cover far too much ground.

Eventually, good teams are going to punish us.

That’s why I keep coming back to the possibility of Andoni Iraola trying a 4-3-3.

I think it could suit the players we have.

You could have Florian Wirtz operating from the left of that midfield three, Szoboszlai from the right and somebody centrally with the discipline to recognise when they need to sit.

That would give us another body in there and, hopefully, stop teams running through the middle of us.

Wirtz has received plenty of criticism, but I’m not particularly worried about him. I can see progression.

He needs to improve his final ball. Some of his touches need to be cleaner and I’d like him to move possession quicker at times.

But he’s working. He’s pressing. He’s covering ground.

For me, the bigger issue is constructing a midfield around these players that actually functions.

Mac Allister And Nyoni Give Me Something Different

If you asked me right now which two players I’d probably trust most in a double pivot, I’d say Alexis Mac Allister and Trey Nyoni.

That’s a massive compliment to Trey.

What I like about him is his understanding of the position. He doesn’t constantly go charging forward and leave a massive hole behind him.

We saw something against Tottenham that I thought was interesting.

When Nyoni and James McConnell went off and Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch came on, Liverpool became far more vulnerable.

Of course, Spurs were chasing the game. They were committing more players forward and that has to be acknowledged.

But the change in Liverpool’s control was noticeable.

Nyoni deserves meaningful Premier League minutes now. Andoni said when he arrived that young players would get opportunities if they showed they were good enough, and Trey is doing exactly that.

Mac Allister is another player who has really encouraged me.

Last season I questioned whether his legs had gone. I wondered whether we’d seen the best of him physically.

I don’t think that anymore.

He looks rejuvenated. The tenacity is back. He’s manipulating his body brilliantly to escape pressure and I’m seeing somebody who looks ready to take responsibility.

That’s why his contract situation interests me so much.

His father, Carlos, has confirmed that Liverpool haven’t approached them about a renewal. If Alexis continues performing at this level, I think Liverpool have a decision to make because I still see a player who can be extremely important for us.

Ryan Gravenberch, meanwhile, hasn’t started this season well enough.

I’m not writing him off. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s confident, particularly his ability to break lines and resist pressure.

But some of his mistakes recently have been simple ones. You can’t blame every misplaced pass or poor decision on the system.

I need more from him as well.

Iraola Has To Find The Right Combination

This is ultimately Andoni’s problem to solve.

There is talent in this midfield. Nobody can convince me otherwise.

Wirtz is an outstanding footballer. Szoboszlai has extraordinary technical qualities. Mac Allister looks revitalised. Gravenberch has already shown his capabilities and Nyoni is pushing hard for an opportunity.

Liverpool have also looked at Lamine Camara. From what I’ve been told, there is an outline agreement with his representatives, although there haven’t been club to club talks with Monaco at this stage.

I can understand why that profile appeals.

But we cannot spend the next few months waiting for another transfer window.

We need to find a solution with what we have.

And I keep coming back to Szoboszlai because I know how good he can be.

I don’t want the spectacular goal every few weeks to become the thing we point towards when assessing his performances. I want the complete midfielder. I want the aggression, the discipline, the tracking back and the willingness to take control when Liverpool are having a difficult afternoon.

Maybe a 4-3-3 helps him. Maybe changing the personnel around him helps. Maybe moving him into a slightly different role unlocks what we all know is there.

Whatever the answer is, I want to see Andoni experiment until he finds it.

Because Dom has far too much talent for us to settle for occasional moments of brilliance.

I want more from him, and I think he’s capable of giving us much more.

Much Love.