Alex Keble profiles Liverpool's new midfielder after his move from RB Leipzig.
Player analysis: Dominik Szoboszlai
There is something undeniably Jurgen Klopp-y about the acquisition of Szoboszlai.
Over the last four years and nine transfer windows, most of Liverpool's first-team signings have been wingers or forwards. Only two, Ibrahima Konate and Konstantinos Tsimikas, play in a defensive role.
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At first glance Szoboszlai, like so many before him, fits the Klopp mould of a hugely talented and tricky young forward, renowned for a burst of pace and high-intensity playing style.
But Klopp could use Szoboszlai as one of his three central midfielders, which tells us two things.
First, the new 3-2-5 formation with Trent Alexander-Arnold in central midfield is here to stay, and second, there remains some merit in the critique that Klopp is stockpiling attackers to the detriment of his defence. No matter Szoboszlai’s talents, it is another high-risk attacking move by the Liverpool manager.
Szoboszlai and Mac Allister as the new No 8s
The arrival of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion can replace the control that Georginio Wijnaldum used to provide for Liverpool.
Klopp’s side have become a little less territorially dominant over time, with their possession (62.7 per cent to 60.8 per cent), progressive passes allowed per 90 minutes (24 to 29), and Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) (9.9 to 10.4) all deteriorating between 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Without someone like Wijnaldum to sweep up loose balls, recycle possession, and keep things ticking, Liverpool have been more susceptible to counter-attacks and to high-scoring matches like those we saw during the early days of Klopp’s reign. Mac Allister, from the left of midfield, can fix that.
That analysis still stands, and yet Szoboszlai’s arrival changes the role of Mac Allister a little, or at least piles more pressure on him to work in deeper areas.
Klopp has typically favoured workmanlike central midfielders who keep things tight centrally to allow the forwards to flourish, and given Mac Allister is a more overtly attacking player than Wijnaldum, the assumption was the Argentinian would be counter-balanced on the other side.
Instead, Szoboszlai adds even more attacking intent on the right of central midfield. It looks fun on paper, but can it really work?
High-output attacker
As Matt Furniss of Opta Analyst suggests, Szoboszlai is a classic Klopp-ite in his off-the-ball diligence, winning 39 high turnovers last season, the sixth most in the Bundesliga.
He is hard-working and by no means a "luxury" playmaker if deployed in the middle, and yet he lacks the defensive instincts of Jordan Henderson.
Instead, Szoboszlai is predominantly a creative force – and a potentially world-class one at that. He averaged 5.52 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes last season, more than any other player in the Bundesliga and the third-most among Premier League players, behind only Kevin De Bruyne (6.55) and Bruno Fernandes (5.94).
He also amassed 8.1 expected assists in the Bundesliga in 2022/23, according to FBRef, which was the fifth most in the division and puts him 12th among Premier League players, level with Martin Odegaard and behind only one Liverpool player, Alexander-Arnold (11.5).
Szoboszlai also led the Bundesliga for secondary chances created (41) and for having multiple involvements in an open-play shot (29). The 22-year-old is undeniably a high-output forward player.
How Szoboszlai fits into the 3-2-5
Those aren’t exactly the stats we normally look for in a No 8, but then again Klopp’s No 8s are no longer normal.
Following a trend across European football, Klopp began to implement a new 3-2-5 (or 3-box-3) formation at the beginning of April. Starting with a 2-2 draw at Arsenal, Liverpool went on a 10-match unbeaten run with Alexander-Arnold shifting into central midfield alongside Fabinho. This in turn freed the No 8s to move higher and wider:
As the above image shows, Henderson (14), and Curtis Jones (17), push into advanced areas, with the right-sided Henderson in particular given licence to roam, filling in the gaps between the lines – or in wide areas – depending on where Alexander-Arnold appears.
The best example of Klopp’s unusual right-sided No 8 is the wild 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in April. Stills from the build-up to Liverpool’s first three goals show the variations required of the right-sided No 8, in this instance Harvey Elliott, who pops up in the forward line, on the right wing, and then as a central midfielder.
In theory Szoboszlai fits snuggly into this complex role. He mostly played as a right-winger in a narrow 4-2-2-2 at RB Leipzig, where he would flit effortlessly between the right half-space (the infield position in which we often find De Bruyne, for example) and an out-and-out position on the right flank.
He should dovetail nicely with Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, creating circular movement on the right to bamboozle opponents, presenting a clear upgrade on Elliott.
Klopp risks on attacking control
But Szoboszlai is unlikely to affect the defensive frailties that have emerged since the formation switch, and indeed may weaken an area Henderson – tracking behind and around Alexander-Arnold - already struggled to cover.
The basic idea of the 3-box-3 is that two defensive midfielders, alongside a wider back three, create a ‘W’ shape that can block opposition counters, while the other five players – the attacking eights and the forward line – swarm and dominate, penning the opponent in.
Klopp’s problem is that Alexander-Arnold still advances, leaving Fabinho alone, while Andrew Robertson is regularly tempted forward from the left of the back three (he is nothing like the disciplined Kyle Walker in a similar role at Manchester City, for example).
Judging by the qualities of Szoboszlai (defensively astute, yes, but known for hard pressing, not breaking up play or cutting off passing lanes), Klopp isn’t so concerned by this. Perhaps he believes that greater control over possession - which Szoboszlai offers - will limit those opposition counters.
But it could exacerbate existing issues.
Returning to the 4-3 win over Spurs, Ryan Mason’s side got back into the match with a simple "artificial transition" (a move that gives the appearance of a counter-attack, but is actually built from the back). Elliott and Jones pressed erratically to leave central midfield wide open.
It is noteworthy that in the encounter, Klopp sought to stabilise the contest by replacing Elliott with Henderson on the hour, and indeed Henderson started alongside Jones in seven of those final 10 matches.
Szoboszlai is an attacking upgrade on Elliott, but can he better – or even match – Henderson’s defensive work for matches like these, which have become typical since the formation switch?
A summer working on the tactical intricacies of the new system could patch these flaws, and in fact the intelligence we see in both Szoboszlai’s and Mac Allister’s performances, might allow Klopp to train the former to show greater discipline in these moments.
Nevertheless Klopp has undoubtedly risked by doubling-down on the attacking aspect of the new formation Presumably, he has not spent money on a player just to provide Salah with competition, or just to fill in as an eight on the rare occasion the opponent concedes 75-80 per cent possession. This happened when Klopp started Cody Gakpo in a similar role in a 1-0 win over Brentford.
Liverpool went unbeaten in the final 10 matches of the season, but they also conceded 14 goals. Clearly it is the defensive side that needs work, but for Klopp - as it ever was – attack is seen as the best form of defence.