Did Dominik Szoboszlai risk long-term damage by rushing back against Arsenal and where does Andoni Iraola play him next?
There is always an extra layer of tension when a star player pushes the boundary to feature in a title-defining clash at Anfield. But as the fallout from Sunday’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Arsenal continues, a frank admission from Dominik Szoboszlai has raised eyebrows across Merseyside.
Dominik Szoboszlai has hinted that he may have rushed back from injury too soon for Liverpool, following his hamstring injury suffered during the international break.
The Hungarian made his first appearance since October 17 on Sunday, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield.
Unfortunately, Szoboszlai failed to have a big impact on the game, with Liverpool arguably losing control after he replaced the impressive Trey Nyoni. Before the Arsenal match, Szoboszlai had played just once since the international break, starting against Brentford before being forced off after half an hour.
For those of us watching seeing the midfield control evaporate the moment Nyoni came off was glaring.While nobody doubts Szoboszlai’s desire to put his body on the line for the shirt, his post-match comments hint at a classic case of heart overriding head.
Szoboszlai Speaks Out: “I Listen to My Heart and Not My Body”
Speaking to media the 26-year-old appeared to suggest that he may have returned too soon:
“The worst thing is to be injured and watch the guys from the stands or on TV.”
“I’m happy to be back, feeling good, feeling fit, and ready to go again on Wednesday. Did I come back too soon? It stays secret. It’s very hard, you know.”
“I’m the type of player, as you might know, that the last three seasons I want to play every 90 minutes but sometimes your body says ‘rest a little bit’ and my body told me to ‘stay calm, you’ve had enough games now’.”
“I missed games against (Man) City and LASK and then I felt again very good after a couple of days off but it seemed I wasn’t ready but sometimes it is my heart and I listen to my heart and not my body.”
“The plan to come in (from the bench). I was actually ready from the start but I’ve played 30 minutes and let’s see from now on.”
Granted, the importance of Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal was clear, but this feels reckless from everyone involved if Szoboszlai wasn’t truly ready to feature. Re-aggravating a hamstring issue in November could prove disastrous for our campaign, especially with the fixture pile-up ahead.
Up next for Liverpool is Wednesday’s trip to Fenerbahce in the Champions League, so Andoni Iraola will be considering some rotation.
For Szoboszlai, much will depend on whether he is fully fit, but if he is, giving him a start makes sense to get match sharpness into his legs. However, tactical fit is the major talking point right now.
Liverpool’s No. 8 is not a good fit in the double pivot, so if he does play, it should be in place of Florian Wirtz, or out wide, where he has played sporadically. Trying to force both Wirtz and Szoboszlai into central areas simultaneously has repeatedly thrown off our midfield balance, leaving the deep-lying playmaker isolated.
The Road Ahead
Szoboszlai isn’t as universally popular with Reds supporters as some rival fans may think, both in terms of his gung-ho style of play and the odd gesture towards the fans when frustrations boil over.
Yet there is zero debate about his underlying talent. When fit, focused, and deployed in a role that maximizes his running power and ball-striking, he remains a game-changer. He has a job on his hands winning round his growing number of detractors, but he still has the quality to be a key man once he is back fit and firing under Iraola.
Comments.
Loading comments…