Jamie Carragher and Daniel Sturridge aren't convinced about Dominik Szoboszlai's current role in the Liverpool side
Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher speaking on Sky Sports
Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher both reached the same verdict on Dominik Szoboszlai(Image: Sky Sports)
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Jamie Carragher and Daniel Sturridge have both voiced their concern that Dominik Szoboszlai is not well-suited to his current role in the Liverpool side.
The Hungarian, who was appointed as one of the Reds’ vice-captains in the summer, was the club’s player of the season last year as he returned 13 goals and 12 assists from 53 appearances.
While he was used in a variety of positions under former head coach Arne Slot, including as a number 10, an eight, at right-back and on the right wing, he has been used almost exclusively as a number eight by Andoni Iraola in double-pivot midfield.
The 26-year-old has admittedly failed to recreate his form of last season so far under the Basque, with Liverpool’s midfield set-up continuing to be the subject of scrutiny.
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Szoboszlai started the campaign as first-choice alongside Ryan Gravenberch, though the Dutchman has since lost his place to Alexis Mac Allister.
However, it has been noted how the Reds appear more in control of games when teenager Trey Nyoni has instead been selected alongside the Argentine, with Szoboszlai recently missing five matches with a hamstring injury.
And Liverpool legend Carragher insists the Hungarian is not the best fit for a double-pivot midfield.
“The discussion that has been there all pre-season and all season is the balance of Liverpool’s midfield,” he said on Sky Sports. “You’ve got Szoboszlai there and Mac Allister - again, individually, two really good players, talented players, but do they work as a partnership in there?
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 08: Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool celebrates after scoring their team's first goal with Dominik Szoboszlai during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on November 08, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai celebrate after they combined for Liverpool's opening goal at Crystal Palace(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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“Trey Nyoni really is the only midfield player Liverpool have right now who almost sees danger, stays in that position, stays in the middle of the pitch, and can actually play there as well.
“You think of Crystal Palace today, how would they win the game? You’d probably think it would be on the counter-attack and maybe set-pieces if they get some.
“So will Liverpool’s midfielders vacate that position a lot? Yes, Szoboszlai will, that’s one of the reasons why he’s probably not 100 percent suited, I think, to that double pivot.”
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Sturridge agreed with his former Reds team-mate as he urged Szoboszlai to be smarter and consider his positioning more when fielded in a deeper midfield role.
“I think it’s about, in his mind, managing how much he presses and when to go, as opposed to just pressing for pressing’s sake,” he said. “I’m not saying that he does that all the time.
“But I think the reason why Liverpool are open is because they don’t have someone who’s reading in front of the defence, and both of the midfielders, whether it’s Mac Allister or Szoboszlai, have a tendency to vacate that space in front of the defence because of the press the manager wants to do.
“It’s about him understanding ‘okay, I’m going to play those passes in between the lines, I am going to press, I have that intent.’ That’s his game, he works hard, he presses with that fierce action.
“But, I need to see a bit more of a smart way of pressing from him as well.”