Liverpool's midfield is undergoing remarkable changes. From the area that was criticized in the early matches of the season, their midfield gradually became a bright spot, with Dominik Szoboszlai emerging as a particularly important factor in Andoni Iraola's system.
Recently, Szoboszlai continued to make his mark with a super product against Tottenham. From a distance of about 30m, the Hungarian midfielder took a beautiful shot, opening the score for Liverpool.
4 days earlier, this player had another less impressive performance in the draw with Fulham. He only won 1 out of 10 tackles. Against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool also had difficulty in midfield in the early stages, before Alexis Mac Allister decided the match with an excellent goal.
Right in the opening match of the season at St James' Park, the duo Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch encountered many difficulties, allowing Newcastle to exploit the space in the midfield area. Liverpool had to wait for Szoboszlai's penalty in the 90+9 minute to keep one point.
Iraola once admitted that he possesses midfielders with good scoring ability. In fact, this group of players has contributed 5 out of Liverpool's total 11 goals this season.
Szoboszlai believes that the role of Liverpool's midfield is being perceived inaccurately. Iraola's system is often described as 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1, but the Hungarian midfielder affirms that the actual structure is very different.
According to Szoboszlai, Liverpool uses a number 6 midfielder, an number 8 and a number 10. These three positions are not on par. Number 6 plays lowest, number 8 pushes higher and number 10 operates near the attack.
That arrangement helps Szoboszlai have more space to participate in attack. He usually plays in the number 8 position and has the right to move forward. This position also helps the Hungarian midfielder develop his scoring ability. Since the beginning of last season, he has scored 16 goals.
However, freedom in attack also entails higher requirements for tactical discipline. After the draw with Fulham, Szoboszlai's defensive support ability was questioned. He himself admitted to being quite surprised to know he was being criticized.
In the celebration of the goal against Tottenham, Szoboszlai put his hand on his ear. That action is easily understood as a response to those who doubted him, but the midfielder denied it. According to Szoboszlai, he decided to perform that gesture before the match and just wanted to dedicate that moment to himself.
What is more noteworthy is the stability. Szoboszlai has performances at a very high level, thereby creating great expectations. However, he also understands that he cannot maintain perfect form in every match.
Szoboszlai clearly understands his limitations in the number 6 position. When reminded of the statistic of only winning 1 in 10 tackles against Fulham, he replied humorously: "Perhaps I am not the best in the number 6 position. If I win 8 in 10 tackles in the next match, will I become a good number 6 midfielder? ".
That saying partly reflects Liverpool's own problem. Szoboszlai can play in many positions, but to best exploit his ability, Iraola needs to find the right role and maintain balance in midfield.
