Mohamed Salah said it best: Dominik Szoboszlai has taken the Egyptian King's crown at Liverpool this season, and he is now "one of the best players in the world".
The Hungary skipper, 24, had split opinion across his first few seasons on Merseyside, energetic and obviously talented but lacking conviction in key moments.
Jurgen Klopp's final days at the helm saw Szoboszlai limited to a bit-part role. He only started one of the club's final six Premier League fixtures in 2023/24 after being hooked at half-time during a bitter home loss to Crystal Palace.
When Florian Wirtz arrived at the club for a record-breaking £116m fee last summer, many expected him to oust Szoboszlai from the starting line-up, but the former RB Leipzig man has embraced the competition.
salah-liverpool-wirtz
It's a good thing too, with many of Arne Slot's other senior players flattering to deceive.
Liverpool's biggest strugglers this season
Wirtz had a tough time at the start of the season, but the creative midfielder has started to thaw out over the past few months, more physical and sharper in his offensive play.
Let's hope Alexander Isak can follow suit when he returns from his long layoff after a leg fracture suffered in December. Isak joined Liverpool from Newcastle United for a British record £125m figure at the end of the summer window, but he only scored three goals across 16 matches before that injury.
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak-2
Liverpool have struggled to build sequences from A to B. In this, Slot's system is at fault, with even Szoboszlai unable to create and maintain a coherent and flowing structure.
Salah's decline has been stark, of course, with the 33-year-old a pale imitation of his former self. However, the club legend remains a potent force and needs those around him to step up and contribute toward a more fluent system.
At the back, Ibrahima Konate has struggled more than most. His autumn and winter performances are trailed by numerous defensive mistakes and an overload of criticism. However, he's been resurgent in recent weeks.
What's the common theme here, the thread that binds all of these players together? Well, they are all making gains. Even Isak injured himself in the process of scoring a goal.
However, Liverpool need their heartbeat to return to his finest form too, but recent signs suggest that he is also bouncing back.
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It has been hard to pin down Liverpool's problems this season to any one thing, but the decline of Alexis Mac Allister would make an accurate illustration.
Arne Slot and Alexis Mac Allister for Liverpool
His decline has been staggering in its wideness. He's less confident, less creative, less combative, less controlled. In fact, one online content creator described Mac Allister as looking "like Fabinho in his final year", having "physically fallen off a cliff".
It goes without saying that Mac Allister's struggles have had an adverse effect on the effectiveness of Slot's system. He is struggling to provide even a portion of his typical quality.
The worries have deepened over the past few months, though Mac Allister put in a strong showing against Sunderland in the Premier League and an even better one in the FA Cup against Brighton, his all-powerful midfield display ensuring Anfield secured passage through to the fifth round.
Against the Seagulls, the 26-year-old enjoyed a match-best for tackles challenged and recoveries made, underscoring an increase in intensity and physicality that has been absent throughout the campaign.
Alexis Mac Allister vs Brighton
Match Stats
Minutes played
Goals + Assists
Touches
Accurate passes
Chances created
Dribbles
Ball recoveries
Tackles won
Interceptions
Duels won
Data via Sofascore
It was the kind of influential display that Szoboszlai has been putting in across the season, and that without his South American partner's typical quality and intensity.
If the 2022 World Cup winner managers to sustain his level, he might just find himself bouncing back and reestablishing himself as one of the club's linchpins, every bit as important as Szoboszlai.
Mac Allister has taken one small step toward revival following months of poor performances, but if he's recovered his physicality and form in the engine room, it would be a giant leap for Liverpool.
Alexis Mac Allister for Liverpool
Szoboszlai has been the man of the hour throughout the campaign, but let's not forget how much of a superstar Mac Allister has proved himself to be in recent years. He is more than capable of returning to that level.
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