As Liverpool prepare to visit Ipswich Town in the Premier League, a key training ground claim has emerged that may give away Andoni Iraola’s team selection.
The Reds make the trip to Portman Road on Friday evening, as Iraola looks to pick up his first win as head coach, following back-to-back 2-2 draws with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
Right-back has been a big talking point at Liverpool throughout the summer, with the decision not to sign a player in that area proving negligent, given Jeremie Frimpong’s struggles and Conor Bradley’s absence.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been used there already this season and under Arne Slot, and writing on X, journalist James Wathland has claimed that the Hungarian has “trained at right-back this week.”
It suggests that Liverpool’s No.8 is in line to take Frimpong’s place against Ipswich, and Iraola himself hinted at as much in his pre-match press conference:
“Challenge in the squad now is we don’t have Conor Bradley there at right-back. That’s why I value Dom [Szoboszlai] at right-back as he can play there. Versatility in the player helps us go through the moments when we have injuries.
“In midfield we have good numbers. Now it’s a matter of getting the right calls from myself. I’m finding now the best combinations and we are going through a period now where we will play a lot of games and we’ll have a chance to see the options we have and the combinations we have. It’s a matter of coaching.”
Should Dominik Szoboszlai start at right-back vs. Ipswich?
Playing Szoboszlai at right-back is far from an ideal situation, but as things stand, it might be the best call to make against Ipswich and even moving forward.
Frimpong looks out of his depth in all facets of his game, from physicality to end product, while Szoboszlai himself has struggled as a central midfielder this season, with his lack of defensive nous an issue.
So, starting him at right-back could effectively kill two birds with one stone, even though the 25-year-old is unlikely to love the idea of playing out of position.
It may be that Frimpong keeps his place, and Szoboszlai continues in midfield, but the above update certainly shows that the latter is being considered as a genuine right-back option.