Dominik Szoboszlai really made an instant impact after signing for Liverpool in the summer. The English Premier League giant paid €70 million to the German RB Leipzig, making him the most expensive Hungarian football player ever.
For the first twenty games in the Premier League, Szoboszlai had not missed a single game, and Liverpool was on top of the table in their league. An unfortunate thigh injury against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day forced the Hungarian talent off the pitch for a while, but he was back within a month. The first sign of unusual misfortune came then: after the second game, his old injury came back, putting him on the sidelines for a longer period of time.
However, Liverpool was still going strong at the time. Szoboszlai returned ‘for good’ by the beginning of March. At the end of the month, the Reds even caught a lucky break: their two rivals in the title race, Arsenal and Manchester City, tied each other. Liverpool were then two points clear of their nearest rival Arsenal with eight matches to go.
The path to victory was clear:
Win all eight remaining games and the Premier League title will be theirs.
This would have been Liverpool’s 20th league title (which would have tied them with Manchester United on top of the all-time list), and the first since the 2019–2020 ‘COVID’ season.
However, that plan fell apart almost immediately.
The first of the eight games was against dead-last Sheffield United, and as expected, Liverpool won (3–1 was the scoreline). However, the next weekend, with Szoboszlai in the starting line-up, Liverpool tied their old rivals Manchester United 2–2. With that, Arsenal took over the lead on the table by goal difference. Things went from bad to worse last weekend, with Liverpool suffering a surprise loss against Crystal Palace at home.
Meanwhile, mid-week, they got battered 3–0, also at home at Anfield, by the Italian mid-table side Atalanta in the Europa League.
What could be even more troubling for Hungarian football fans is that
in both games, Szoboszlai was left out of the starting eleven.
He was also subbed in both times, however. There have been some games where Szoboszlai was benched earlier in the season as well, but those were typically in the EL group stage against lower-ranked opponents where key players could be rested; or at a time in Premier League games when he was just returning from his injuries. The last two fixtures, however, were important for his team with formidable opposition.
Szoboszlai also made an error that cost his team a goal against Atalanta. He gave away the ball at the halfway line before the third Atalanta goal, an uncharacteristic mistake for the midfielder.
After the Atalanta game, even some Liverpool fans turned against Szoboszlai, as expressed by some comments left under his latest Instagram post.
One user accused him of being ‘more busy doing his hair and play with his phone rather than put some real football on,’ while many others pointed out how much better he performed before his injuries, or with the Hungarian National Team.
Where Will Dominik Szoboszlai Go From Here?
Hungary and Liverpool fans understandably have different perspectives on Szoboszlai’s performance and overall career.
Apart from a few jealous contrarians, most football fans in Hungary still adore the young National Team captain. He has already given them more than they would have imagined just a few years ago. He gets regular playing time in a top English Premier League team with a great history and a massive international fanbase. He has led the National Team to their third European Championship qualification in a row. Prior to Szoboszlai’s recent transfer, the last Hungarian international to play regularly in the Premier League for a longer period of time was Zoltán Gera, and that was for West Bromwich battling against relegation over a decade ago.
Liverpool fans, however, could get disillusioned with him a lot faster.
They are hungry for another Premier League title, and yearn to finally break Manchester City’s dominance in the league in recent years.
They see Szoboszlai as someone their beloved club spent a lot of money on, and thus they expect him to be among the prominent figures leading the team to greatness.
Liverpool has won the Carabao Cup this season already,
after beating Chelsea 1–0 in the final. Szoboszlai was still out with an injury at the time. The winning goal was scored by Dutch centre-back Virgil Van Dijk, in extra time, in the 118th minute.
However, with the Premier League title being a clear possibility with just eight more games, that will likely not be enough for Liverpool fans to feel content with the season.
What adds to the pressure is that beloved head coach Jürgen Klopp has announced he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after eight and a half years. The German manager wants to take some time off after dealing with the pressure of top-level professional football non-stop for nearly a decade. Fans really wanted to see their team achieve something special in the last year under Klopp’s management, with whom they have won the Premier League (in 2020) and the Champions League as well (2019).
It is also worth noting that it was Klopp who decided to sign Szoboszlai in the summer. Whoever takes over for him for the next season (as things stand now, it will be most likely the Portuguese Rúben Amorim currently coaching Sporting Lisbon) may have a different vision for the team in which Szobolszai does not fit at all.
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