The Hungarian finished the match with a passing accuracy of 79.6%, completing nine of his 39 attempts, three of which were missed. As was the case against United last weekend, despite being in some promising positions, his performance in the final third was poor as he failed to capitalize on goalkeeper David Raya (two shots missed) or create occasions. He had 14 turnovers, including three fumbles, once every 4.2 snaps.
But it wasn’t all bad. On the other side of the ball, Szoboszlai’s contribution has been outstanding. The 23-year-old worked tirelessly to support Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right flank, with three of his four strikes going inside Liverpool’s defensive third. At one point he even made a decisive challenge on the dangerous Gabriel Martinelli in his own penalty area. He also recovered nine clearances, a joint Liverpool record with the incredible Wataru Endo, as well as two blocks, an interception and a clearance. Loyalty is beyond reproach. Liverpool midfielder Dominic Szoboslai showed his outstanding defensive skills against Arsenal. Szoboszlai proved to be the complete midfield package at its best. But even if he doesn’t do well in one area, like he did Saturday offensively, he finds a way to make a big impact in another area. His former midfielder Jordan Henderson was an experienced man in his prime. He played a key role in Liverpool’s attacking formation and provided valuable defensive goals but looked physically exhausted from years of hard work on his final day at Anfield. Klopp’s unique and demanding style of play is affected. This was ultimately part of the reason why the Reds were so poor in the middle of the park last season. But even on a tough day like Saturday, Szoboszlai looks like a real upgrade over this version of Henderson.
Last week we discovered that he had played 90 minutes in each of his first 10 Premier League games and just one of his last seven. But here Klopp kept him in the side until the end, recognizing his value to Liverpool’s effective possession style.
Szoboszlai joined from RB Leipzig for $77 million and has made a great start to his Anfield career. He was named Player of the Month in August and finished runner-up to Mohamed Salah in September and October, but then cooled off. It dropped slightly after the international break in November.Against Manchester united, he had one of his most disappointing performances in a Liverpool shirt and was duly substituted. That’s why his performance against West Ham was so refreshing. But at least he got another ball in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Premier League rivals Arsenal.
