February 4th 2025.
Jamie Carragher recently admitted that he hasn't been the biggest supporter of Dominik Szoboszlai, expressing his desire to see more attacking contribution from the Liverpool midfielder. Szoboszlai joined the team in 2023 for a hefty £60million from RB Leipzig and quickly became a crucial part of Jurgen Klopp's lineup, making 45 appearances in his first season.
Under the guidance of new manager Arne Slot, Szoboszlai has continued to play a key role in the Reds' midfield, often in a more advanced position ahead of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch. Despite his impressive physical abilities, the 24-year-old has only managed to contribute to five goals in his 21 league appearances this season.
In comparison, fellow Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has contributed to six goals in the league, with six fewer starts and 534 fewer minutes played. After watching a recent performance from West Ham's Lucas Paqueta, Carragher admitted that he would like to see Szoboszlai develop his game to become a bigger threat in front of goal.
During a discussion on The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet, Carragher said, "I was commentating on West Ham but I was just watching Paqueta thinking 'oh my' every time he brought the ball down on his chest or his shoulder." He also mentioned that he had considered if Liverpool would have signed Paqueta, as Manchester City had reportedly tried to do, and how his lack of athleticism may have been a concern for top teams.
Carragher also pointed out that while Szoboszlai is often praised for his off-the-ball work, he is the team's No.10 and has only scored three goals so far this season. However, he acknowledged that Slot would still prefer to have Szoboszlai in his lineup over someone like Paqueta.
Earlier in the season, Slot also stated that he would like to see the Hungarian midfielder increase his goal contribution. "I think something that we have to work on with him is that he's also even more involved in scoring goals and creating chances for us," he said in September. "Last season he scored three [in the league] if I remember correctly and for an attacking midfielder at Liverpool his numbers need to go up."
Despite these critiques, Slot has been pleased with Szoboszlai's overall performance and is confident that he will continue to improve, especially with the high quality of players around him at Liverpool. The team is set to face Tottenham in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, aiming to overturn a one-goal deficit.
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