The Captaincy Question Lurking Behind Szoboszlai’s Best Week Yet
Dominik Szoboszlai has never lacked belief in his own ability, and his stunning strike in Liverpool’s 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur gave everyone another reason to share that belief. Our take, though, is that the finish itself was almost the least interesting part of his week. What stood out more was the growing sense that Szoboszlai is quietly angling for a leadership role at Anfield, and that Andoni Iraola still has not worked out the best way to use him.
A Goal Worth Talking About
Tottenham had threatened to make the closing stages awkward before Szoboszlai settled the tie with a finish that ranks among the best Liverpool have produced all season. It arrived after a nervy spell in which the visitors pushed for a route back into the tie, and it immediately eased the tension inside the ground. His celebration, cupping a hand to his ear, carried a hint of a response to criticism that had followed his display the previous weekend, and it was hard not to notice the theatre of it. There is a swagger to Szoboszlai that occasionally splits opinion among supporters, but moments like this tend to buy considerable patience, and the goal capped what was otherwise a composed team performance on a night largely dominated by talk of Liverpool’s academy graduates, with Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni both drawing attention.
Where Does He Actually Play
The more complicated issue is where that quality actually fits inside Iraola’s midfield. Szoboszlai has previously described the shape his manager wants in some detail, with a six sitting deep, an eight positioned higher and slightly separated from him, and a ten operating higher again, rather than the six and eight sitting side by side. It sounds coherent enough on paper, but Liverpool’s midfield balance has looked unsettled for spells this season, described by some close observers as scattered at times during the opening weeks of Iraola’s reign. Szoboszlai’s individual brilliance can occasionally come at the expense of that structure rather than reinforcing it. He offers intensity, directness and a willingness to press relentlessly until the moment he needs to be replaced, all qualities that suit Iraola’s demand for aggression without the ball. Whether those attributes sit best in central midfield or somewhere else entirely remains an open question. Right-back has been floated as an alternative, even though Szoboszlai has made his lack of enthusiasm for the role fairly clear in public, despite it potentially offering a tidier balance to the team elsewhere on the pitch.
A Leadership Profile Taking Shape
Away from the tactical detail, Szoboszlai’s willingness to talk has become increasingly notable this season. He has been open in interviews about the significance of one day captaining Liverpool, describing it as the biggest honour the club could offer him, and has spoken about wanting to be more of a voice inside the dressing room. That combination of visibility and ambition invites comparison with senior figures like Virgil van Dijk, who has long treated media duties as part of the captain’s job description rather than an obligation to be avoided. Some will read Szoboszlai’s openness as confidence bordering on self-regard, and there is a case for that reading given how comfortable he seems putting himself forward. We are inclined to see it a little differently: a player who understands his growing importance to this Liverpool side, on and off the pitch, and who is not afraid to say so publicly rather than letting the football do all the talking.
None of that resolves Iraola’s puzzle. Szoboszlai remains one of Liverpool’s most talented players, capable of both real quality with the ball and serious defensive work without it, and on the evidence of the Tottenham performance, one of the most influential when everything clicks together. Working out exactly where he fits best within the midfield picture, and how much responsibility he should eventually be handed off the pitch as well as on it, looks set to be one of the more interesting subplots of Iraola’s first season in charge at Anfield.
What Iraola Should Do Next
There is no obvious quick fix here. Dropping Szoboszlai deeper risks blunting the directness that makes him so effective in the final third, while pushing him further forward can leave gaps behind him that a settled Liverpool midfield would usually cover. Iraola’s challenge is less about finding a system that suits Szoboszlai specifically and more about building a midfield unit flexible enough to absorb his instincts without losing its shape entirely. Get it right and Liverpool have a genuine match winner who can also organise those around him. Get it wrong and the same qualities that produced Saturday’s winner could keep exposing the same structural gaps that have troubled Liverpool in patches this season. Either way, Szoboszlai looks increasingly like a player Iraola will build important decisions around, both in selection and inside the dressing room.