Ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest, Jamie Carragher has laid out the problem Arne Slot has with how to play Dominik Szoboszlai.
A pre-match injury to Florian Wirtz opened up a space in the midfield, but Szoboszlai was kept at right-back.
In the buildup to the afternoon’s action, Carragher was discussing the Hungarian’s stellar form, and why he thinks injuries aren’t the only reason for playing him in the back line.
You can make just one change to Arne Slot’s XI to face Forest☝️
Who, and why?
Liverpool vs Forest
Liverpool vs Forest
Rather, he’s the best option Slot has, regardless of who’s available.
Jamie Carragher explains the problem with Dominik Szoboszlai and Arne Slot’s dilemma
You can never have too much talent, but maybe you can be too talented for your own good.
Szoboszlai wants to play in midfield, but he has covered brilliantly at right-back this season with plenty of Reds encountering injury issues.
So well that Carragher is pretty sure he’s the best right-back at the club.
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He said on Sky Sports: “If everybody was fully fit, he [Szoboszlai] is probably still Liverpool’s best right-back. That’s how good a player he is.
Dominik Szoboszlai scores for Liverpool against Marseille
Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP via Getty Images
“Yeah, he is [Liverpool’s best midfielder too] this season, and that’s the problem for him really.”
Carragher is probably right. Szoboszlai is a complete footballer who could probably play in any position.
For Slot, there are a couple of reasons to be unsure about what to do with the Hungarian. On one hand, you want to have your strongest team out on the pitch. Sometimes, that entails playing him out of position.
But on the other hand, you run the risk of discontent with the 24-year-old, and of losing too much quality in the centre of the park. Real Madrid would love to sign Szoboszlai, so Slot must be careful not to leave him feeling undervalued.
The reality is, the upgrade from Jones to Szoboszlai is bigger than the upgrade from Frimpong or Bradley to Szoboszlai. The right-back experiment should end when possible.
Arne Slot on Szoboszlai before Forest
Slot was asked again about Szoboslai’s position in his pre-match interview.
Asked about his number eight’s current role, Slot responded: “He is (versatile), and he needs to be! Because that’s what we need. We have our issues, especially in defence, missing out on our two full-backs. But Dominik has done that job really well.”
You’re Richard Hughes, how are you responding when Real Madrid call to ask about Szoboszlai?
What price are you quoting?
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates in front of the Kop after scoring in Liverpool's FA Cup fourth round match against Brighton at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson/Offside).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson/Offside
There’s no doubt Szoboszlai has all the tools needed to be a world-class right-back.
It’s just not where our current best player should be playing, especially with how lethal he has been in front of goal.
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