As Liverpool’s undisputed best player this season, it was a surprise to see Dominik Szoboszlai subbed off by Arne Slot against PSG.
The Hungarian has so often come up with decisive moments for the Reds this season, and he would have been thinking the same was possible in the latter stages of Wednesday night’s loss. But Slot made the decision to hook him in the 79th minute, and ESPN’s Julien Laurens was concerned by his reaction.
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He said: “When Szoboszlai comes off, he doesn’t shake Slot’s hand. When he comes off I think, is surprised to be coming off. Maybe it’s also to give them a bit of a rest before the league match because they ‘re playing against Fulham this weekend, unlike PSG. For me, he’s losing the players.”
A big claim from the Frenchman. Let’s assess.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s reaction another sign of discontent with Arne Slot
Compared to last season, the vibes at Liverpool are on the floor. The manager has long been considered the main culprit.
We can look back to Mohamed Salah’s post-Leeds outburst as the first signs of cracks in the relationship between Slot and the players.
Laurens sees Szoboszlai’s reaction as yet another. No star player wants to be subbed off, but everyone knows that ignoring a handshake from the head coach is going to cause a stir in the media. Maybe it was by design.
On top of that, Ibrahima Konate’s post-PSG comments paint a similar picture. He basically said it’s on Slot — not the players — to figure out solutions for next week’s return leg at Anfield.
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If the players are running out of patience, you wouldn’t find it hard to believe. It could just be an overall frustration, but more and more, it does look like Slot is losing a handle on his dressing room.
Those mini-rebellions tend to be the first signals that a rift is growing.
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Arne Slot reacts with frustration during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg match against Galatasaray at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine
It also doesn’t help how obvious it is that the players aren’t regularly putting in the kind of shift we accepted as the norm under Jurgen Klopp.
If Slot can’t set them up to at least compete with PSG next week, that could be the final nail in the coffin.
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