On Wednesday night, Dominik Szoboszlai’s spectacular goal during Liverpool’s 3-1 Carabao Cup triumph over Leicester City lit up Anfield.
The Hungarian has made an immediate impact at Anfield since joining the team from RB Leipzig this summer, and he is showing no signs of slowing down after making his most recent noteworthy contribution while wearing the Reds jersey.
Few could have predicted the 22-year-old would have such a great first season at Liverpool, but Jurgen Klopp won’t be grumbling after reaping the benefits of his midfield signing.
Those who follow Szoboszlai on a weekly basis have been blown away since seeing the Reds’ No. 8 in action, and it hasn’t taken long for him to leave a mark on them.
Szoboszlai came close to scoring in the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in August, but his bold effort was parried, and Diogo Jota was on hand to score, impressing Garth Crooks. He can definitely play, Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column. Szoboszlai, a recent addition to Liverpool, seemed like he wanted to be actively involved in the game against Bournemouth and displayed all the skills of a competent player. Someone at Anfield needs to explain to him what that number signifies and who has worn it before him if he’s going to wear the number eight shirt for Liverpool.
“Sammy Lee, Brian Hall, Jimmy Case, and Steven Gerrard, who made the jersey famous, have all distinguished themselves while donning that outfit. The fact that Szoboszlai has large shoes to fill and a big heart is important to know.
Following the weekend victory over West Ham United, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock recently repeated similar remarks. He’s a great football player, Warnock said. “When you consider his overall game, his athleticism makes him look like a beast of a player. He has that second, third, and fourth gear to breeze past players and complete a pass.”
After learning of the Hungary captain’s move to Merseyside, Graeme Souness had high expectations for him and predicted that he would succeed at his new club alongside Alexis MacAllister. “I like Szoboszlai, and I love Mac Allister,” Souness declared. We’ll have to wait and see with (Wataru) Endo. The Premier League is more intense and rigorous than any other league, so just because you have success in the Bundesliga doesn’t guarantee success there. Watch to see how he responds to that.
It was obvious that things were not going to turn out well when you considered the age. They were at a stage where you ought to have been paying great attention. They’ve done it now, and I believe Mac Allister and Szoboszlai will be stars for Liverpool, but I still think they should have a holding midfielder of the highest calibre.
Paul Merson, a former midfielder for Arsenal, believes that no other new Premier League player has been able to equal the impact of the £60 million signing. In his Sportskeeda blog prior to Liverpool’s trip to Wolves following the break, Merson wrote: “The Premier League is back after what felt like one of the longest international breaks in history! Despite the fact that the 2023–24 season is just four game weeks old, there has already been plenty of action and unexpected outcomes, and a few new acquisitions have set the stage for what is to come.
“In my opinion, Dominik Szoboszlai has been the best of the lot. While he was at RB Leipzig, I hadn’t really seen much of the young man, but I have to say that I’ve been very impressed by him; he hasn’t yet had a terrible game! He recently scored a world-class goal and does a little bit of everything; he will be outstanding for Liverpool in the years to come.
However, not everyone was a fan of Szoboszlai. Micah Richards gave his assessment of Liverpool’s new signing before the season’s first weekend, but he remained unconvinced about the kid and his capacity to learn English football. He said on the podcast The Rest Is Football, “Szoboszlai is a good player, but I don’t know if he can handle the pace of the league.” “I believe he will be a slow burner.”
Szoboszlai’s teammates reacted quickly to his incredible goal against Leicester Wednesday evening, and Jude Bellingham also left a comment after seeing his potent effort. Endo remarked, “What a goal.” Keep sipping mate, a South American herbal tea, said Mac Allister. Bellingham said, “Szobooo,” adding a rocket emoji to the sentence.