Sport

Liverpool’s Szoboszlai Dilemma

In the space of just 28 minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai demonstrated the pros and the cons of his role in the Liverpool team. The Hungarian’s stunning freekick gave the Reds a lead that could have, on another day, set them on course for an important win over Manchester City. By the 12th minute of stoppage time, though, he’d been sent off and Liverpool had lost.

Deployed at right back, Arne Slot used Szoboszlai to give Liverpool an advantage in possession. From that area of the pitch, he had the freedom to push inside and form a box midfield with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz. When it worked, the ploy overloaded City.

Defensively, though, Szoboszlai was lacking. He was the Liverpool player who kept Bernardo Silva onside for the Manchester City equaliser and was shown a straight red card for pulling back Haaland in the mayhem that led to Rayan Cherki’s goal deep into stoppage time being disallowed.

As a goal threat and a creator, Szoboszlai must play for Liverpool. He has arguably been their best player of an otherwise disappointing 2025/26 season and is capable of producing something out of nothing, as he did by smashing a freekick past Gianluigi Donnarumma from 25 yards out on Sunday.

This wasn’t even the first time that Szoboszlai had netted a peach of a freekick in a big match this season. Indeed, the 25-year-old scored a similar goal in a game against Arsenal back in August and has earned a reputation for himself as one of the best freekick takers anywhere in world football.

Only Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah have created more chances for Liverpool this season than Szoboszlai who has been shifted between his natural position behind the forward line and a right back role that few imagined he would operate in before the start of the season.

Jeremie Frimpong arrived from Bayer Leverkusen to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold for the 2025/26 campaign. However, the Dutch international has struggled to stay fit and hasn’t always looked like a natural fit as a right back in an orthodox back four. At Leverkusen, Frimpong was used as a right wing back.

Fitness has also been an issue for Conor Bradley who has started just 12 Premier League matches this season. Joe Gomez can play at right back, but he too has had injury trouble to contend with recently. It’s in these circumstances that Szoboszlai has been deployed on the right side of the defence.

Over the course of the season, experts and supporters have swayed back and forth over the Hungarian’s suitability for that role on a permanent basis. At times, Szoboszlai evokes memories of Alexander-Arnold and his performances in that position over a period of several years. Alexander-Arnold could also strike a freekick with fury.

At other times, though, Szoboszlai is a defensive liability. A more natural right back would have stepped up in line with his teammates in anticipation of Erling Haaland winning the header that led to Silva’s equaliser on Sunday. There were other instances when Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush brushed past Szoboszlai with ease.

Despite winning the Premier League title last year, it quickly became clear that this season was a transitional one for Liverpool. The balance of Slot’s team is off. The Reds boast one of the most formidable frontlines in Europe, but don’t yet have the safety net in midfield and defence to win matches consistently.

Szoboszlai is too good not to play. Wirtz has taken the Hungarian’s place in the number 10 position while Salah is still first-choice on the right wing. Gravenberch and Mac Allister are solid as a pairing in the centre of the pitch, leaving no other spot for Szoboszlai to fill than the one at right back. The pros and the cons may balance each other out.