Hungary Hold Their Nerve on Szoboszlai, and Liverpool Are Left Holding Their Breath
International breaks have a habit of producing one nervous storyline for Liverpool, and this time it centres on Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian took a knock to his ankle during the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, yet he has still linked up with his national team, and Hungary are in no hurry to tell anyone whether he will play against Georgia or Northern Ireland.
From where we sit, that is the part that grates. A late call suits Hungary perfectly well. It does very little for a club that has to hand over one of its most influential midfielders and then simply wait to see what comes back.
A grey area nobody really wanted
When a player is clearly fit, nobody blinks. When a player is clearly injured, the club keeps him at home and the national side accepts it. The trouble starts in the space between those two outcomes, and that is exactly where Szoboszlai finds himself after Selhurst Park.
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There was no firm answer in the immediate aftermath of the Palace game about whether he would even travel. Now that he has, Hungary have decided to keep assessing the ankle until the last possible moment. That tells us the problem is not trivial, but also not serious enough for anyone to rule him out on the spot.
Our view is that Liverpool had the option of drawing a firmer line and chose not to. The club could have pushed harder for him to stay on Merseyside and rest. Instead, it looks like the player’s wish to represent his country carried the day, with the promise of closer monitoring as the compromise.
Why the timing makes this a bigger deal
If this were a quiet stretch of the calendar, few supporters would be losing sleep. It is not. Liverpool return from the break into a crowded run of fixtures, and Andoni Iraola needs as many senior bodies available as he can get after an already demanding opening to the campaign.
Szoboszlai is not a squad filler in that picture. His legs, his willingness to press and his knack for carrying the ball through the lines have made him central to how this side plays. Losing him for even a couple of weeks would leave a noticeable hole, and aggravating a minor issue into something longer is the scenario every Liverpool fan will be dreading.
That is why the grumbling among supporters is understandable. Plenty of rival clubs are quick to shut the door on any risk when a player carries a knock into an international window. Liverpool, by contrast, appear to have taken the softer route, and the question being asked is whether that generosity could end up costing us.
The case for a little understanding
To be fair to the club, there is a relationship at stake here too. Players care deeply about playing for their countries, and a club that blocks them at every opportunity risks creating resentment. Unless the medical picture is overwhelming, most clubs prefer to negotiate rather than dig their heels in, and that is probably what has happened here.
There is also a small window of time working in Liverpool’s favour. Hungary’s first match is still a few days away, which gives the ankle a chance to calm down before anyone has to make a final decision. If the swelling settles and he trains without discomfort, this could turn out to be a fuss about nothing.
What Iraola will want, more than anything, is a straight answer and a sensible one. If Szoboszlai is not fully right, we would expect Liverpool to be pressing hard for him to sit out. If he is cleared, the hope is that Hungary manage his minutes carefully instead of leaning on him simply because he is their captain and their best player.
So the waiting continues. The midfielder wants to be involved, Hungary are keeping their options open and Liverpool are left hoping their faith is not repaid with a longer absence. Whatever the final call, its consequences will be felt far beyond a couple of autumn qualifiers.