Opinion: €70m Liverpool star could steal the show against Man City

Dominik Szoboszlai must deliver for Liverpool against Man City

After demolishing Qarabag 6-0 and Newcastle 4-1, Liverpool will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce as they host Manchester City on Sunday, a match that will pit the winners of the last eight Premier League titles against each other.

Whilst City sit second in the table, six points behind league leaders Arsenal, the defending champions sit sixth in the table, one point behind Chelsea, two behind Manchester United, seven behind Aston Villa, and eight behind City. It remains to be seen if Liverpool can come away with the victory, but if they are to do so, they’ll need Dominik Szoboszlai to be at his very best.

Born and raised in Hungary, Szoboszlai left for Austrian powerhouse Red Bull Salzburg as a teenager and excelled, earning the attention of RB Leipzig, who paid €20 million to make him the most expensive Hungarian footballer of all time. Szoboszlai furthered his progress in Germany, winning two DFB-Pokal titles, before making the move to Liverpool in 2023 for a whopping €70 million.

After gradually adjusting to life under Jürgen Klopp, Szoboszlai enjoyed a fairly strong second season under Arne Slot. He won the Dutchman’s favor with his intense pressing efforts, proving essential at leading the charge both on and off the ball and filtering passes into the final third. And at the end of the 2024/25 season, he became the first Hungarian to win the Premier League title.

This season, however, it’s fair to say that Liverpool and Szoboszlai’s form have gone in opposite directions. Whilst the Reds have suffered an underwhelming title defense, Szoboszlai has established himself as one of the finest attacking midfielders in European football. Despite initially having to slot in at right back following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure, Szoboszlai made his mark both on and off the ball, slotting in a world-class free kick to sink Arsenal earlier into the season.

After a perfect start to the campaign, Liverpool have suffered a dreadful few months under Slot, winning just one of their last six league fixtures, whilst they’ve also lost to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup. The sole saving graces have come in the FA Cup, with Liverpool set to face Brighton later this month, and the UEFA Champions League, with Liverpool finishing third in the league table.

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In terms of individuals, however, it’s fair to say that the biggest standout has been Szoboszlai. He has effectively replaced Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s main man — everything runs and flows through him. He has the confidence to take free kicks from Salah, and the effectiveness to back it up. But don’t just take my word for it: take a look at the numbers.

Whereas the likes of Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister have suffered a drop in form, Szoboszlai has taken his game up a notch and is on course for the best scoring return of his career with 8 goals and 7 assists in 33 appearances. He currently sits in the Liverpool squad’s top three players for Expected Assists (3.56) in the Premier League, shots on target per game (0.7), big chances created (5), key passes per game (1.9), accurate long balls per game (3.5), and tackles per game (1.5).

Szoboszlai has already established himself as one of the greatest Hungarian footballers of all time, scoring a last-second winner vs. Iceland to send them to the 2021 European Championship, before guiding them back to the following addition. All things considered, he has scored 17 goals and 10 assists in 60 appearances for the Magyars, and he has worn the captain’s armband since November 2022.

He’s already excelled in Hungary, Austria, and Germany, but now, Szoboszlai is stamping his footprint in England and establishing himself as one of the finest players in the Premier League. Above all, he’s serving as a role model for countless Hungarian players like Alen Skribek and providing inspiration for a country that has swiftly nosedived ever since its glory days during the middle third of the 20th century.

“Players who are as good as Dominik don’t spend that long in Hungary — that’s why he went to Salzburg and did very well there, before going to Leipzig,” stated Skribek, who leads all Zalaegerszeg players for goals (7) and goal contributions (10). “But when he joined Liverpool, nobody was expecting him to do what he’s doing now. His success has been great for clubs in Hungary because he’s opened the doors for more and more players to move to other leagues.”

At just 25 years of age, Dominik Szoboszlai has already cemented his status as an indispensable figure in midfield for Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, Liverpool, and the Hungary national team. Now, can he guide Liverpool to victory against Manchester City?