Dominik Szoboszlai has been a revelation since the arrival of Arne Slot.
The Hungarian star arrived at Anfield during the summer of 2023 as part of a £60m deal with RB Leipzig and his first season on Merseyside saw the midfielder put in mixed performances.
That has changed during the current campaign with the 24-year-old’s performance against Man City evidence of that.
Jamie Carragher labelled Szoboszlai ‘out of this world’ during the clash at the Etihad, while Andy Robertson loved what he saw from the Liverpool midfielder against the Premier League champions.
The Hungary international’s improvement is largely down to Arne Slot and that is something the Reds star is fully aware of.
Dominik Szoboszlai credits Arne Slot for Liverpool improvement
Slot used Szoboszlai up front alongside Curtis Jones in a 4-2-4 formation against Man City on Sunday, showcasing how innovative the Dutch coach can be.
The Liverpool boss can see the attacking attributes the 24-year-old possesses and has encouraged him to play more advanced this season, which wasn’t the case under Jurgen Klopp.
Speaking in the official Liverpool matchday programme for the Newcastle match, Szoboszlai has shared how Slot has improved his game since he arrived at Anfield.
“Of course it’s different. Last year I was playing as an eight, I think more of the defensive part of the game than offensively,” Szoboszlai said.
“This time I am playing a little more offensively than defensively but I am still doing work on the defence part.
“I have more freedom to go forward and be in front of the goal and get my chances, and my assists and goals. I’m happy to do that.
“Sometimes it takes a little time until you ‘get it’, but he [Slot] changed my game a lot. I have improved. I think, a lot under him because he was working on a certain point, that I was never thinking about, to be improved.”
Arne Slot has turned Dominik Szoboszlai into another Steven Gerrard
Szoboszlai’s performance against Man City was outstanding as the 24-year-old displayed all the facets of his game. The Hungarian star ran his socks off, defending when he was needed, while also grabbing a goal and an assist.
The midfielder’s display was similar to that seen by Steven Gerrard in the past and this would not have happened under Klopp.
| Premier League Stats | Under Jurgen Klopp | Under Arne Slot |
| Games | 33 | 25 |
| Goals | 3 | 4 |
| Assists | 2 | 3 |
| Chances Created | 56 | 37 |
| Shots | 60 | 51 |
| Shots on target | 15 | 17 |
| Pass accuracy | 87.3% | 85.7% |
| Successful passes | 1221 | 788 |
As the German coach was often without a natural number six last season when Wataru Endo wasn’t playing, Szoboszlai was restricted in how much he could go forward.
Slot has released this brake and the Dutch coach is seeing the results. The former Leipzig star is more influential in the final third of the pitch and it has created problems for Liverpool’s opponents.
The improvement of Szoboszlai this season should get Liverpool fans excited as Slot has the potential to take the Hungarian star to another level again with the traits he possesses.
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