Dominik Szoboszlai - Welcome to Liverpool

[Manny]

2 hours ago, Section_31 said:

Holy fuck.

 

 

Nice to see Philly's found a stable job.

[Sugar Ape]

How Good is Dominik Szoboszlai? | The Analyst

 

 

How Good is Dominik Szoboszlai? The Newcastle and Liverpool target Analysed

 

Premier League clubs being linked to Dominik Szoboszlai is nothing new. He’s been linked to Chelsea and Arsenal in previous seasons, while Newcastle United and Liverpool both seem to have entered the race to secure the Hungarian midfield star. And why not? The 22-year-old is one of the most outstanding young talents in the Bundesliga, with the ability to score, create and excite fans with the attributes he possesses.

 

Back in November 2021, Hungarian football expert Tom Mortimer profiled Szoboszlai for Opta Analyst after his first year at RB Leipzig, with a particular focus on how he’d got as far as he had and the background behind his early success. At that stage, Szoboszlai had only played 728 minutes of competitive action for the German club across 13 matches. The start of his career in the Bundesliga had been severely hindered by a groin injury that had kept him out of action for the five months at the end of 2020-21, after he’d signed from fellow Red Bull group side RB Salzburg in December 2020.

 

Those fitness woes haven’t returned since, thankfully for Leipzig and Szoboszlai, with the midfielder missing just one match through injury across the last two Bundesliga seasons. Overall, of the possible 9,180 minutes that Szoboszlai could have played for RB Leipzig over the last two campaigns in all competitions, he spent 64% of those on the pitch (5,832). Only Willi Orbán, Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol have had more playing time for the club across that time.

 

Across those two seasons since 2021-22, Szoboszlai’s top-line numbers are modest: 38 non-penalty goals and assists in 91 competitive appearances doesn’t immediately jump off the page. His chance-creation numbers are far more impressive, mind you, with a team-high 161 created for teammates overall and 99 of those coming from open play – a tally behind only Chelsea-bound Nkunku (132).

 

In the Bundesliga, Szoboszlai is one of only 14 players to have created at least 100 chances for teammates since the start of 2021-22, but of those players he has the fifth highest per 90 average (2.5).

 

Last season saw Szoboszlai find a more regular position in RB Leipzig’s side, with 77% of his playing time coming as a right-sided winger. That was a shift from 2021-22, where he played most of his minutes as a left-winger (potentially to utilise his fantastic ball-striking qualities, allowing him to cut in on his preferred right foot) and in central midfield – those two positions making up 60% of his playing minutes in the Bundesliga, with just 17% as a right winger. His ability to play across the midfield is an obvious attractive trait to any prospective club.

 

 

 

While deployed mainly in that right-wing role at RB Leipzig in 2022-23, Szoboszlai tallied the fifth highest xG assisted figure in the Bundesliga (7.72), which was a fair bit higher than any other teammate across the season (David Raum’s 4.48, the next highest). It might come as a surprise to some to learn that 77% of his xG assisted total came from open play last season (5.97), considering the hype around his danger from set-piece situations. That’s not to say the hype isn’t justified, but more to show how dangerous he can be in open play too.

 

Szoboszlai has led the RB Leipzig rankings across each of the last two Bundesliga seasons for open-play attacking sequence involvements, although his 6.0 per 90 average this season was slightly above his involvement rate in 2021-22 (5.4). In fact, 2022-23 saw him rank fourth overall in the German top flight for total involvements in shot-ending sequences in open play (163) but interestingly he had a more equal split between having the shot (49) and being the creator for a shot (48) than any other player in the top 10.

 

 

Not only was he prevalent in shooting and creating shots for teammates, Szoboszlai led the Bundesliga for secondary chances created – the pass to the player who creates a chance – with 41, showing his importance in the build-up to RB Leipzig shots and an element of his game that many fans might underestimate.

 

It’s also interesting to note that Szoboszlai led the 2022-23 Bundesliga charts for having multiple involvements (being involved in both the build-up to and either the shot itself or the chance creation of a shot) in an open play shot. He was involved in 29 such instances (15 shots, 14 chances created), four more than the next highest, Serge Gnabry at Bayern Munich (25). His quick feet also saw him take seven shots that followed a one-two with a teammate – only four players had more, with three of those at Bayern (Gnabry, Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala).

 

Despite his tall frame (six-foot-one), Szoboszlai is a good carrier of the ball, too. Across attacking players in the Bundesliga last season, only four players made more ball carries or travelled further with the ball at their feet from carries than he did (384 carries over 4,403m). Despite this, he’s not a player that will look to take on players with regularity. True, he was one of 22 players to tally 100+ take-ons in the 2022-23 Bundesliga, but only three of those averaged fewer on a per 90 basis than Szoboszlai (3.9). His take-on numbers are nearly half that of players like Alphonso Davies (6.6/90), Kingsley Coman (6.5), and Borussia Dortmund pair Donyell Malen (6.5) and Karim Adeyemi (6.4).

 

One thing is for sure: RB Leipzig coaching staff and teammates knew the threat the Szoboszlai posed when in possession in the opposition half. With his ability to shoot from range – only Bayern’s Sané (37) had more shots from outside the box than him (36) in the 2022-23 Bundesliga – and his prolific creative numbers, his teammates looked to supply him at every opportunity. Joshua Kimmich (992) was the only player that received more open-play passes in the opposition half across the 2022-23 Bundesliga season than the Hungarian midfielder (850) and his 31.2 open-play passes received per 90 average was more than any player at Leipzig.

 

Szoboszlai is also a player with a high work rate, with his average sprint per 90 figure 11th highest of the 106 outfield players to play at least 2,000 Bundesliga minutes last season (31.7), while his average distance covered/90 (10.8km) is also in the top half of that group.

 

That’s helpful when playing for a team that likes to win possession high up the pitch. Only the Bundesliga’s top two sides Bayern (382) and Dortmund (314) made more high turnovers in the Bundesliga in 2022-23 than RB Leipzig (298). Forty-six of those ended in a shot, which was only behind Bayern’s total of 73 in the German top flight last season.

 

Admittedly on a rather basic level, this could show one reason why Szoboszlai is supposedly being tracked by Arsenal. He would be an ideal player for Mikel Arteta’s side and their pressing game, with the Gunners making the most high turnovers (388) and scoring the most goals (nine) following such situations in the Premier League in 2022-23. Overall, only Brighton (67) attempted more shots from high turnovers last season than the Gunners’ 62.

 

 

Szoboszlai was a big part of winning possession back in those areas (within 40m of the opposition goal), with 39 high turnovers in total – the most of any Leipzig player and the sixth highest in the entire league. Only three players contributed more high turnovers that led to shots than Szoboszlai (eight), with the midfielder again leading the way for his club. Overall, only Bayern’s Kimmich (53) started more open-play sequences that eventually led to a shot than Szoboszlai at RB Leipzig (37) across 2022-23.

 

For a quick, digestible way to understand how Szoboszlai played across the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, we can use the new Opta Player Radars and their similarity score between players from any top five European league season over the last 15 years.

 

 

Last season, the Hungarian had the closest similarity score to James Maddison at Leicester City in 2019-20 (94% similarity) – just the second season of top-flight football that the England international had played and one in which he was among the top five players for shot involvements in the Premier League (153 in total). This was behind only Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Raúl Jiménez and Jack Grealish. Essentially, Maddison was a creative force who would pepper the opposition goal with shots on a frequent basis.

 

If Szoboszlai does leave Leipzig this summer, he’ll depart having scored in the 2023 DFB-Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt – capping off the 2-0 victory with the second goal in the 85th minute. The talented Hungarian would depart having made a big impact in Germany, not to mention a healthy profit on the €20 million Leipzig forked out to sign him from sister-club Salzburg. Red Bull gave him wings, now it’s time for him to fly.

[Sugar Ape]

Dominik Szoboszlai: The versatile technician who could be perfect for Liverpool - The Athletic

 

Dominik Szoboszlai: The versatile technician who could be perfect for Liverpool

 

 

Simply watching an attacking player’s goals and assists can be a risky game to play.

 

Rarely do you get a full understanding of their playing profile, tactical understanding or role in the team.

 

However, for Dominik Szoboszlai, it is difficult not to sit back and bask in the entertainment.

 

The Hungarian is well-known for his clean ball-striking and wondrous technique — making for a highly enjoyable highlights reel — but a strong season of consistent, technically proficient performances have put many clubs across Europe on high alert.

 

Liverpool look to be most interested in taking Szoboszlai away from RB Leipzig, with The Athletic reporting that the Premier League club met with 22-year-old’s representatives this week, and appear to have been given confidence that it a deal is possible.

 

If that move were to materialise, it would end Szoboszlai’s five-year association with the Red Bull pathway. Since leaving Hungary at the age of 16 to join FC Liefering of Austria in 2016, the player has gone from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig.

 

And while it may seem like he has had a smooth trajectory to this point, Szoboszlai’s start to life in east Germany was tough, having arrived at Leipzig in December 2020 with an adductor injury that prevented him from making his debut until the following August.

 

Even during 2021-22, his first full season, Szoboszlai struggled to stamp his authority on his new side, coming off the bench more often (16) than being named in the starting XI (15) during a challenging Bundesliga season that saw Leipzig transition from RB-faithful Jesse Marsch to a more possession-based approach under Domenico Tedesco.

 

Nevertheless, Szoboszlai still logged six league goals and eight assists, which he matched in 2022-23 as he became a fixture in latest-boss Marco Rose’s revitalised Leipzig side — with the Hungarian capping the season off with a goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in DFB-Pokal final victory. As evidence of his robustness and importance to the side, only centre-back Willi Orban played more minutes for Leipzig than Szoboszlai in all competitions last season.

 

Szoboszlai’s positional versatility is a key asset.

 

 

While he has frequently played as a right midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 or a 4-2-3-1 under Rose, you wouldn’t frame him as an out-and-out winger, but rather a creative attacking midfielder who pulls wide.

 

Crucially, Szoboslai is equally comfortable on the left flank, as he has shown at club level and international level — regularly playing as a left-sided attacking midfielder in Marco Rossi’s 3-4-3 structure with Hungary.

 

Whether he is cutting in from the left or right, Szoboszlai has a penchant for playing sharp balls to runners ahead of him or unleashing one of his trademark shots from distance.

 

That’s right, the numbers support what your eyes have seen: only Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane has had more shots from outside the box than Szoboslai in the 2022-23 Bundesliga season.

 

 

Just two of those strikes found the back of the net last season, and while the xG gods might argue against trying too many efforts from range, Szoboszlai is afforded a longer leash when you consider how emphatic his ball striking is.

 

This is exemplified by his outrageous long-range effort against Borussia Dortmund in Marco Rose’s first game as Leipzig manager (see tweet above).

 

From a central location with little backlift, the accuracy and power that Szoboszlai generates catches everyone by surprise.

 

 

It is a goal that gets better with every angle you view it from — as the ball swerves away from goalkeeper Alexander Meyer’s reach.

 

 

The player’s dead-ball technique is equally impressive. On international duty, a long-range free kick into the top corner against Bulgaria in March was one to add to his already growing collection.

 

Knowing what he is going to do is one thing, stopping it is a different story.

 

 

As The Athletic has previously reported, Szoboszlai would frequently practise nearly 200 free kicks each day in his teenage years, finding the best technique that suited him.

 

That dead-ball striking technique has become one of his core weapons, displaying a fairly upright body posture while still being able to generate movement on the ball.

 

This can also be seen in his unerring ability to drop the ball on a sixpence with consummate ease when taking a corner — a technique that needs to be seen in real time to be truly appreciated.

 

 

While set-piece specialism has become synonymous with Szoboszlai, do not underestimate his creative output in open play.

 

Overall, the Hungarian’s 2.6 chances created per 90 was the ninth-highest among all players in the Bundesliga last season. You might assume that a healthy volume of that creativity would be unfairly padded by set pieces, but Szoboszlai’s 1.7 open-play chances created per 90 was still among the best in Germany — good enough for the 11th highest in the league.

 

However, it is not just the final pass or the final shot where Szoboszlai steps up, but his overall contribution towards his side’s attacking sequences.

 

Looking at all shot-creating actions — which are the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, take-ons and drawing fouls — Szoboszlai’s 5.5 per 90 is the highest across the Leipzig squad.

 

Breaking this down across his actions, you can see how much he is a threat both in open play and from dead-ball situations.

 

 

Considering his position on the right flank, crosses from wide were understandably a key part of Szoboszlai’s chance creation last season.

 

However, rather than a lofted or whipped ball into the penalty area every time, the Hungarian is intelligent in disguising his passes — often taking the pace off the ball and playing it lower to deceive the opposition.

 

Take this example against Augsburg. As Szoboszlai arrives onto the ball, team-mate Andre Silva is at the back post. With two defenders between man and ball, a chipped pass might look like the best option (yellow dotted line) but, instead, Szoboszlai elects to play the ball across the turf (white line) into space…

 

 

… for Silva to convert unmarked at the back post, with Augsburg’s defenders wrong-footed by the disguised pass.

 

 

Kevin De Bruyne-esque, you might say.

 

A very similar example can be seen against Teutonia Ottensen, where a lofted ball might look the most obvious route from Szoboszlai to Silva (yellow dotted line). Instead, a square ball to Silva (white line) gives his team-mate a yard of space with the defenders dropping towards their goal line…

 

 

… allowing him to finish well.

 

 

Szoboszlai’s technical ability is unquestionable, but having the intelligence to select the best option and make the right decisions in key moments is what sets the best players apart.

 

*

 

So, what about the physical side?

 

While nominally a wide player, Szoboszlai is unlikely to burst away from his opponent in a one-v-one situation. Speed over short distances is not his game, but his capacity to hit top gear is often underestimated by his opponents.

 

Per Bundesliga’s metrics, powered by AWS, Szoboszlai’s top speed of 35.2 kmh (21.9mph) places him as the 31st-highest among all players in the Bundesliga — not bad at all when you consider the 506-strong sample across Germany’s top division.

 

That physical capacity can be deceiving. While he might not be profiled as an all-action midfielder compared with other wide players in Europe, no Leipzig team-mate registered more intensive runs than Szoboszlai’s 2,069 in the Bundesliga last season. In fact, his 863 sprints were the seventh-highest total of any Bundesliga player last season.

 

Numbers like these should give Szoboszlai confidence in his capacity to make the transition to the Premier League a smooth one, should a move were to materialise.

 

It is worth noting that there has been a healthy smattering of players moving from Germany to England who have not quite met the demands set at their previous clubs — Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Jadon Sancho and Naby Keita, to name a few — but the technical and physical profile of Szoboszlai suggests that risk would likely be blunted.

 

*

 

Finally, the tactical side.

 

While defensive deficiencies were flagged earlier on in his career, Szoboszlai showed a marked improvement in his game in and out of possession last season.

 

Playing within a Red Bull system synonymous with highly intense, transitional play, leading suitors Liverpool will be confident that Szoboszlai could also make light work of the tactical adaptation within a Jurgen Klopp system.

 

Only Bayern Munich logged a more intense press than Leipzig’s PPDA of 11.1 demonstrated last season, with Die Roten also the only side to register more direct attacks — as a proxy of counter-attacking — than Leipzig’s 77 in 2022-23.

 

Szoboszlai has been key to Rose’s strong transition set-up — staying high when Leipzig lose possession in order to regain the ball in lucrative areas.

 

An example of this is shown against Stuttgart, encapsulating everything that Szoboszlai was about last season.

 

As midfielder Amadou Haidara plays a lofted ball into the box, Szoboszlai is on the half turn — ready to drift forward and pick up any second ball that might land to him.

 

 

As the ball is cleared, Leipzig have four players in an attacking position to pounce.

 

The ball is headed to Silva on the edge of the area…

 

 

… who cushions his header to Szoboszlai…

 

 

… to bring down and arrow his volley into the bottom corner with the sort of technical proficiency you expect from him.

 

 

Leipzig’s 46 shot-ending high turnovers were also the second-highest tally in Germany last season. So, from an offensive and defensive perspective, Szoboszlai’s narrow position from the right could be a glimpse into the manner in which Liverpool would like him to play.

 

After a tactical switch to a three-box-three structure in possession in the final part of last season, Liverpool’s midfield consisted of two holding No 6s in their build-up — Fabinho and the inverting Trent Alexander-Arnold — plus two advanced No 8s (or 10s) who would support the attack.

 

Following the signing of versatile midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, could Szoboszlai be earmarked for the right-sided No 10 position in Klopp’s new system?

 

The Hungarian is already adept at playing in (a version of) a box midfield within Leipzig’s typical 4-2-2-2 set-up, while his long-range shooting could be a useful weapon against deeper blocks sitting off against Liverpool; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has only recently left the club, was known to have been encouraged by Liverpool staff to shoot from distance due to his own powerful technique.

 

Whether Liverpool are the ones to secure Szoboszlai’s signature or not, the player is hot property across Europe and looks ready to make another step up in his career after a highly impressive campaign in Germany.

[Strontium]

It took a while, but it looks like we're finally replacing Steven Gerrard.

[Jurgen Knows]

He is very similar to Kevin De Bruyne. 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Is he not going to be in the position Trents new role is supposed to place him or is he going to drop deeper when Trent goes forward, is he capable covering defensive duties.

[Ne Moe Imya]

9 minutes ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

Is he not going to be in the position Trents new role is supposed to place him or is he going to drop deeper when Trent goes forward, is he capable covering defensive duties.

 

Actually, the Szoboszlai signing is a pretty clear signal, at least to me, that we're going to continue with the way we were playing at the end of last season.

 

Trent and Salah both have a tendency to step inside from their wider positions, and Szoboszlai has exactly what you'd want in a player who starts out inside and ends up outside, so it makes a lot of sense from that standpoint. Now you'd think if you wanted to replicate that on the other side that you'd need to find a left-sided centre back who is good on the ball and can come inside to build play on that side of the pitch, because that isn't going to suit Robertson very well.

[diamondjoe]

[Daisy]

35 minutes ago, Ne Moe Imya said:

 

Actually, the Szoboszlai signing is a pretty clear signal, at least to me, that we're going to continue with the way we were playing at the end of last season.

 

Trent and Salah both have a tendency to step inside from their wider positions, and Szoboszlai has exactly what you'd want in a player who starts out inside and ends up outside, so it makes a lot of sense from that standpoint. Now you'd think if you wanted to replicate that on the other side that you'd need to find a left-sided centre back who is good on the ball and can come inside to build play on that side of the pitch, because that isn't going to suit Robertson very well.

 

Yeah hes going to take hendersons new advanced position. Worry is if the formation doesnt work out and revert to a flat three in midfield, where does he play? 

[bossy]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

 

Yeah hes going to take hendersons new advanced position. Worry is if the formation doesnt work out and revert to a flat three in midfield, where does he play? 

You’re like fresh morning dew.

[Reckoner]

5 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

Dominik Szoboszlai: The versatile technician who could be perfect for Liverpool - The Athletic

 

Dominik Szoboszlai: The versatile technician who could be perfect for Liverpool

 

 

Simply watching an attacking player’s goals and assists can be a risky game to play.

 

Rarely do you get a full understanding of their playing profile, tactical understanding or role in the team.

 

However, for Dominik Szoboszlai, it is difficult not to sit back and bask in the entertainment.

 

The Hungarian is well-known for his clean ball-striking and wondrous technique — making for a highly enjoyable highlights reel — but a strong season of consistent, technically proficient performances have put many clubs across Europe on high alert.

 

Liverpool look to be most interested in taking Szoboszlai away from RB Leipzig, with The Athletic reporting that the Premier League club met with 22-year-old’s representatives this week, and appear to have been given confidence that it a deal is possible.

 

If that move were to materialise, it would end Szoboszlai’s five-year association with the Red Bull pathway. Since leaving Hungary at the age of 16 to join FC Liefering of Austria in 2016, the player has gone from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig.

 

And while it may seem like he has had a smooth trajectory to this point, Szoboszlai’s start to life in east Germany was tough, having arrived at Leipzig in December 2020 with an adductor injury that prevented him from making his debut until the following August.

 

Even during 2021-22, his first full season, Szoboszlai struggled to stamp his authority on his new side, coming off the bench more often (16) than being named in the starting XI (15) during a challenging Bundesliga season that saw Leipzig transition from RB-faithful Jesse Marsch to a more possession-based approach under Domenico Tedesco.

 

Nevertheless, Szoboszlai still logged six league goals and eight assists, which he matched in 2022-23 as he became a fixture in latest-boss Marco Rose’s revitalised Leipzig side — with the Hungarian capping the season off with a goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in DFB-Pokal final victory. As evidence of his robustness and importance to the side, only centre-back Willi Orban played more minutes for Leipzig than Szoboszlai in all competitions last season.

 

Szoboszlai’s positional versatility is a key asset.

 

 

While he has frequently played as a right midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 or a 4-2-3-1 under Rose, you wouldn’t frame him as an out-and-out winger, but rather a creative attacking midfielder who pulls wide.

 

Crucially, Szoboslai is equally comfortable on the left flank, as he has shown at club level and international level — regularly playing as a left-sided attacking midfielder in Marco Rossi’s 3-4-3 structure with Hungary.

 

Whether he is cutting in from the left or right, Szoboszlai has a penchant for playing sharp balls to runners ahead of him or unleashing one of his trademark shots from distance.

 

That’s right, the numbers support what your eyes have seen: only Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane has had more shots from outside the box than Szoboslai in the 2022-23 Bundesliga season.

 

 

Just two of those strikes found the back of the net last season, and while the xG gods might argue against trying too many efforts from range, Szoboszlai is afforded a longer leash when you consider how emphatic his ball striking is.

 

This is exemplified by his outrageous long-range effort against Borussia Dortmund in Marco Rose’s first game as Leipzig manager (see tweet above).

 

From a central location with little backlift, the accuracy and power that Szoboszlai generates catches everyone by surprise.

 

 

It is a goal that gets better with every angle you view it from — as the ball swerves away from goalkeeper Alexander Meyer’s reach.

 

 

The player’s dead-ball technique is equally impressive. On international duty, a long-range free kick into the top corner against Bulgaria in March was one to add to his already growing collection.

 

Knowing what he is going to do is one thing, stopping it is a different story.

 

 

As The Athletic has previously reported, Szoboszlai would frequently practise nearly 200 free kicks each day in his teenage years, finding the best technique that suited him.

 

That dead-ball striking technique has become one of his core weapons, displaying a fairly upright body posture while still being able to generate movement on the ball.

 

This can also be seen in his unerring ability to drop the ball on a sixpence with consummate ease when taking a corner — a technique that needs to be seen in real time to be truly appreciated.

 

 

While set-piece specialism has become synonymous with Szoboszlai, do not underestimate his creative output in open play.

 

Overall, the Hungarian’s 2.6 chances created per 90 was the ninth-highest among all players in the Bundesliga last season. You might assume that a healthy volume of that creativity would be unfairly padded by set pieces, but Szoboszlai’s 1.7 open-play chances created per 90 was still among the best in Germany — good enough for the 11th highest in the league.

 

However, it is not just the final pass or the final shot where Szoboszlai steps up, but his overall contribution towards his side’s attacking sequences.

 

Looking at all shot-creating actions — which are the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, take-ons and drawing fouls — Szoboszlai’s 5.5 per 90 is the highest across the Leipzig squad.

 

Breaking this down across his actions, you can see how much he is a threat both in open play and from dead-ball situations.

 

 

Considering his position on the right flank, crosses from wide were understandably a key part of Szoboszlai’s chance creation last season.

 

However, rather than a lofted or whipped ball into the penalty area every time, the Hungarian is intelligent in disguising his passes — often taking the pace off the ball and playing it lower to deceive the opposition.

 

Take this example against Augsburg. As Szoboszlai arrives onto the ball, team-mate Andre Silva is at the back post. With two defenders between man and ball, a chipped pass might look like the best option (yellow dotted line) but, instead, Szoboszlai elects to play the ball across the turf (white line) into space…

 

 

… for Silva to convert unmarked at the back post, with Augsburg’s defenders wrong-footed by the disguised pass.

 

 

Kevin De Bruyne-esque, you might say.

 

A very similar example can be seen against Teutonia Ottensen, where a lofted ball might look the most obvious route from Szoboszlai to Silva (yellow dotted line). Instead, a square ball to Silva (white line) gives his team-mate a yard of space with the defenders dropping towards their goal line…

 

 

… allowing him to finish well.

 

 

Szoboszlai’s technical ability is unquestionable, but having the intelligence to select the best option and make the right decisions in key moments is what sets the best players apart.

 

*

 

So, what about the physical side?

 

While nominally a wide player, Szoboszlai is unlikely to burst away from his opponent in a one-v-one situation. Speed over short distances is not his game, but his capacity to hit top gear is often underestimated by his opponents.

 

Per Bundesliga’s metrics, powered by AWS, Szoboszlai’s top speed of 35.2 kmh (21.9mph) places him as the 31st-highest among all players in the Bundesliga — not bad at all when you consider the 506-strong sample across Germany’s top division.

 

That physical capacity can be deceiving. While he might not be profiled as an all-action midfielder compared with other wide players in Europe, no Leipzig team-mate registered more intensive runs than Szoboszlai’s 2,069 in the Bundesliga last season. In fact, his 863 sprints were the seventh-highest total of any Bundesliga player last season.

 

Numbers like these should give Szoboszlai confidence in his capacity to make the transition to the Premier League a smooth one, should a move were to materialise.

 

It is worth noting that there has been a healthy smattering of players moving from Germany to England who have not quite met the demands set at their previous clubs — Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Jadon Sancho and Naby Keita, to name a few — but the technical and physical profile of Szoboszlai suggests that risk would likely be blunted.

 

*

 

Finally, the tactical side.

 

While defensive deficiencies were flagged earlier on in his career, Szoboszlai showed a marked improvement in his game in and out of possession last season.

 

Playing within a Red Bull system synonymous with highly intense, transitional play, leading suitors Liverpool will be confident that Szoboszlai could also make light work of the tactical adaptation within a Jurgen Klopp system.

 

Only Bayern Munich logged a more intense press than Leipzig’s PPDA of 11.1 demonstrated last season, with Die Roten also the only side to register more direct attacks — as a proxy of counter-attacking — than Leipzig’s 77 in 2022-23.

 

Szoboszlai has been key to Rose’s strong transition set-up — staying high when Leipzig lose possession in order to regain the ball in lucrative areas.

 

An example of this is shown against Stuttgart, encapsulating everything that Szoboszlai was about last season.

 

As midfielder Amadou Haidara plays a lofted ball into the box, Szoboszlai is on the half turn — ready to drift forward and pick up any second ball that might land to him.

 

 

As the ball is cleared, Leipzig have four players in an attacking position to pounce.

 

The ball is headed to Silva on the edge of the area…

 

 

… who cushions his header to Szoboszlai…

 

 

… to bring down and arrow his volley into the bottom corner with the sort of technical proficiency you expect from him.

 

 

Leipzig’s 46 shot-ending high turnovers were also the second-highest tally in Germany last season. So, from an offensive and defensive perspective, Szoboszlai’s narrow position from the right could be a glimpse into the manner in which Liverpool would like him to play.

 

After a tactical switch to a three-box-three structure in possession in the final part of last season, Liverpool’s midfield consisted of two holding No 6s in their build-up — Fabinho and the inverting Trent Alexander-Arnold — plus two advanced No 8s (or 10s) who would support the attack.

 

Following the signing of versatile midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, could Szoboszlai be earmarked for the right-sided No 10 position in Klopp’s new system?

 

The Hungarian is already adept at playing in (a version of) a box midfield within Leipzig’s typical 4-2-2-2 set-up, while his long-range shooting could be a useful weapon against deeper blocks sitting off against Liverpool; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has only recently left the club, was known to have been encouraged by Liverpool staff to shoot from distance due to his own powerful technique.

 

Whether Liverpool are the ones to secure Szoboszlai’s signature or not, the player is hot property across Europe and looks ready to make another step up in his career after a highly impressive campaign in Germany.

I’m not reading all that. Can somebody summarise it please?

[Vincent Vega]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

 

Yeah hes going to take hendersons new advanced position. Worry is if the formation doesnt work out and revert to a flat three in midfield, where does he play? 

You are “Brilliant’s” dad “Rubbish” from The Fast Show aren’t you?

 

[Daisy]

Buying a player for a specific formation is risky though when it never really got tested against decent opposition

[joe_fishfish]

He could probably play as a false nine, or on the right while Salah’s at the Afcon.
 

He could also play right hand side of a conventional midfield three, depends how well he adapts to our pressing game.

 

According to the articles in the Athletic, Leipzig liked to keep him high out of possession rather than get him to track back, I don’t think he’d be that player for us, because that’s usually Salah’s job. But he’s only 22 and has a huge engine on him. He could adapt. 

[joe_fishfish]

Really excited by this guy now I’ve watched some videos and read those reports, so expecting there to be a stumbling block and we’ll move onto our next target on Monday.

[sir roger]

10 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Buying a player for a specific formation is risky though when it never really got tested against decent opposition

 

To be fair, one of the graphics earlier outlining the positions he can play, makes Milner look like a slacker.

[sir roger]

Why has Dave Usher got Alan Carr in an LFC cap as his avatar ?

[Scott_M]

19 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Buying a player for a specific formation is risky though when it never really got tested against decent opposition

Did you read those articles? Even look at the pictures? 

[Chip Butty]

All I’ve heard for certain about this lad, is as a triple word score in scrabble, he’s worth 238 points. 

[Scott_M]

On his song, I put this in another thread yesterday….

 

Tune is We Found Love by Rihanna / Calvin Harris. 

 

I challenge anybody in the world to come up with something, that gets the same Szoboszlai, into a better song than that Rhianna one.

 

(Chorus)

Szoboszlai a master of the game,
With every touch he sets our hearts a flame,
Szoboszlai, your passion is out fuel,
We’ll chant your name forever because you play for Liverpool,

 

(Verse)

We just can’t,

Just can’t,

Just can’t,

Just can’t deny,

Its the way you make us feel

 

Chorus. 
 

 

Its one that could go on for ages. 

[sir roger]

A simpler one would be Bambalayo

 

Dom Szoboszlai

Dom Szoboszlai

 

Better lyricists than me can sort out the next, fast line.

[Preston Red]

10 hours ago, El Rojo said:

Timmy Mallet

[Scott_M]

 

[Scott_M]

On a side note, I signed Mac Allister, Szobo and Thuram on FIFA and I’m killing it. 

[SlugTrail]

6 hours ago, Strontium said:

It took a while, but it looks like we're finally replacing Steven Gerrard.

No even a funny joke.