Szoboszlai has become Liverpool's new Firmino

Streaky in terms of attacking contributions but a key cog in the machine, Szoboszlai reminiscent of a recent Liverpool great.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

No matter how well things are going for Liverpool, there always has to be a whipping boy.

And so, despite the Reds racing to the top of both the Premier League and Champions League in the early stages of this season, Dominik Szoboszlai has somehow managed to find himself in the firing line. 

The common criticism has been that, for all his good work off the ball, the Hungarian could and should be doing more to affect games in and around the opposition box.

Well, how about Sunday’s all-action display at Southampton as an answer to the critics? 

For starters, Szoboszlai grabbed the opener with an expertly taken finish on his wrong foot that kissed the post on the way in.

Crucially, though, that excellent strike was then backed up by several impressive attacking metrics, including five shots, three chances created and a 100% dribble completion.

Of course, the key challenge for Liverpool’s No.8 is to do this consistently, something Jamie Carragher alluded to in amusing fashion on commentary.

It appears the former Reds defender has been taken in by the mischievous sharing of a clip of the same Szoboszlai free-kick for Hungary during every international break, believing it to be a different goal each time.

However, the point still stands in that, with 21 goal contributions from 51 appearances for his country, the 24-year-old is going at a rate of one every 2.4 games for his country.

Meanwhile, for Liverpool, his 16 in 62 outings represents a return of one every 3.9 games. 

The hope will be that Sunday can be the start of an improvement on that front, not least because Arne Slot and his staff are understood to be working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that is the case. 

But even so, it is everything else that Szoboszlai already provides that is keeping him in the team at the moment, and none of that was absent even amid a strong attacking performance at Southampton.

As illustrated below, the Hungary international posted more recoveries than any other Liverpool to keep the visitors in control at St Mary’s.

And the sheer scope of his defensive work is underlined by this map, which shows how frequently he covers large distances to plug gaps wherever they appear.

In the end, Szoboszlai came away from the south coast having won 4/4 tackles, 6/9 ground duels, and without being dribbled past even once.

No wonder, then, that he looked absolutely dead on his feet during the final five minutes of injury time.

Ultimately, even if Szoboszlai never becomes a hugely consistent goal threat, these sorts of contributions should still be valued correctly.

In that way, the debate over his merits reminds of the neverending discussion around a key cog in the last great Liverpool team: Roberto Firmino. 

It is easily forgotten now that the Brazilian regularly faced harsh scrutiny during dry spells of his own, and that was playing as an out-and-out No.9.

But, even in difficult moments, he always provided an extra man on both sides of the ball, making himself indispensable to Jurgen Klopp.

So far this season, Szoboszlai appears to be fulfilling the exacty same role for Slot, and so it is hard to imagine him being dislodged from the starting XI, even if attacking performances like Sunday’s don’t become a weekly occurrence.