The Dominik Szoboszlai Conundrum

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was contributing hugely to the Reds' attack but has stopped. Why does Arne Slot keep selecting him?

“Dominik Szoboszlai continues to confuse me with every passing week.” KARL COPPACK, THE ANFIELD WRAP

“Me too, [Karl]. Not bad, just not quite right in a way I can't identify.” ME, REPLYING ON X

Let’s rewind. We’re three weeks into the season and new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has made a perfect start to life in England. His side have beaten Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United without conceding a goal. Sadly there’s an international break now but that won’t halt the Reds’ momentum, will it?

Ahem.

As we now approach the third pause in the 2024/25 campaign for the all-important UEFA Nations League (ahem), Liverpool have largely continued in the vein in which they started, winning almost every match. The increased fixture intensity has meant Slot has been changing his starting XIs when he didn’t have to in the early stages of the season. Nonetheless, if the Reds were playing a cup final tomorrow you could confidently predict most of their side lining up at kick-off.

One man who would probably make the cut is Dominik Szoboszlai. His place might be up for debate, though. The 24-year-old was integral to so much of what Liverpool did well in those opening three weeks but has contributed little of note since. What has happened?

Across the first three games of the season, Szoboszlai led the Premier League for carries of at least five metres which ended with the player creating a chance, with seven. As he recorded 14 in the entirety of 2023/24 it was clearly a hot run of form, but he hasn’t added to his tally since.

Most creative carriers after three weeks of 2024/25

Similarly, the former RB Leipzig midfielder played a pair of successful through balls at Portman Road, one of which created an Opta-defined big chance for Mohamed Salah. Again, tumbleweeds since (in the league; he logged one each against Bologna and his old side). All of Szoboszlai’s starts have come in the number 10 position, the ideal spot for through balls, as Curtis Jones proved against Bayer Leverkusen. There is one clear factor which might be influencing this downturn in productivity.