The speed at which Liverpool completed their surprise move for Dominik Szoboszlai in the summer was almost matched by the swift manner in which the midfielder began imposing himself at Anfield.
Following a relatively subdued pre-season programme – not helped by a niggling injury that forced him out of one friendly – expectations were cautious at the start of the season for Szoboszlai, with Alexis Mac Allister having greater enthused with his summer outings.
But Liverpool’s testing start to the campaign of a trip to Chelsea followed by being reduced to 10 men against both Bournemouth and Newcastle United provided a showcase for the Hungarian midfielder to step up and assume extra responsibility. When the going got tough, Szoboszlai got going.
By the time he was smashing in the opening goal of a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, the Kop had been won over, with subsequent performances, culminating with two assists against Nottingham Forest last month, making him one of the success stories of the transfer window.
Since then, though, there has been a notable dip in form. He was sufficiently under-par in the 1-1 draw at Luton Town earlier this month to be replaced midway through the second half – ending his 100% record in the Premier League since arriving at Anfield.
He made negligible impact a few days later as a half-time substitute in the Europa League loss at Toulouse, and while he was better in the home win over Brentford, on Saturday at Manchester City he was hooked with almost 20 minutes still remaining and Liverpool chasing a game from which they ultimately earned a deserved point.
That Szoboszlai has been unable to maintain those early high standards is understandable. Few could have, let alone a player who was having his first experience of playing in the Premier League.
“The intensity is crazy,” he said earlier this month. “You have to run a lot and not only a lot but fast. You have to defend too because you know that every time the opposition has a chance in this league, the quality is so high that they can score.”
Factor in having played all 90 minutes of Hungary’s six internationals this season – five of which have been Euro 2024 qualifiers, in which Szoboszlai will now be expected to star at the end of the season – and there’s good reason for the player to be somewhat jaded.
Perhaps, then, the time has come for Szoboszlai to be briefly taken out of the firing line.
There are options available for Klopp, with Harvey Elliott banging hard on the door for a starting role and both Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch more than capable of doing a job in Szoboszlai’s position.
And while it would be expected the midfielder is benched for the Europa League visit of LASK Linz on Thursday – he hasn’t started any of the previous four group games – it could also be wise to limit Szoboszlai’s Premier League minutes over the next fortnight, particularly with pivotal clashes at home to Manchester United and Arsenal on the horizon, and the Hungarian set to have a first taste of the hectic festive schedule that sets English football apart from its European neighbours.
