Dominik Szoboszlai Shines with Stunning Goal in Liverpool's Carabao Cup Win
Dominik Szoboszlai did not bother scrolling through the criticism. He answered it with his right foot instead.
Under the lights in the Carabao Cup, the Hungarian drove Liverpool past Tottenham with a performance that cut straight through the noise, capped by a thunderous long-range strike in a 3-1 win that jolted Anfield back to memories of his early-season swagger.
Was he aware of the chatter about his form?
"Was there a criticism? I don't know, I didn't see but thanks for telling me," he said afterwards, half-dismissing the debate in one line. "You know this goal [against Spurs] was for the people who are always next to me because we are also humans so we can have bad games."
That “bad game” was still fresh in the minds of many. Against Fulham in the league, Szoboszlai had struggled badly in a goalless draw, winning just one of his 10 duels. The numbers were brutal, and they fuelled a familiar argument: what exactly is his best position?
At the heart of Iraola’s overhaul
The question has grown louder since Andoni Iraola walked through the doors at Anfield and rewired Liverpool’s midfield. The new manager has pushed a more fluid, high-octane structure, and Szoboszlai has been right in the thick of it.
"I think you guys see a little bit different because we play with one 6, one 8 and one 10," he explained, keen to clear up the picture. "So the 6 and the 8 are not next to each other, the 8 is a little bit higher and the 6 is a little bit deeper and the 10 is a little bit even higher so it is not two next to each other."
It is a system that demands constant movement, awareness and risk. Iraola has repeatedly highlighted the 23-year-old’s intelligence as a key reason he can shuffle him around the pitch.
"Last week against Fulham I was a No. 8, I have been No. 2 as well, I have been No. 6, No. 8, No. 10, No. 7 also," Szoboszlai added, listing his roles almost as if he were reading off a squad sheet rather than a CV.
The numbers on his back may not change, but the zones he occupies certainly do.
Labels for others, responsibility for him
Supporters and pundits continue to argue over the ideal version of Szoboszlai. Is he a driving No. 8? A creator between the lines? A deeper playmaker who starts attacks?
For the player himself, the debate is little more than background noise.
"No, I just want to be on the pitch," he said. "Maybe I am not at the best in the 6 position because I win one of the 10 duels, maybe next the game I am going to win eight out of 10, so I am then a good 6? So it's always balance."
That word – balance – is exactly what Iraola is searching for in a midfield constantly being reshaped by injuries and tweaks. Szoboszlai’s willingness to plug gaps, to accept different briefs without complaint, has turned him into one of the manager’s most important problem-solvers.
The goal against Spurs, though, was pure individual statement: a reminder that, wherever he starts on the tactics board, he still carries the capacity to decide games from distance.
Reaction over reputation
Liverpool’s win has booked a fourth-round tie with Chelsea, a fixture that will test just how far Iraola’s ideas have bedded in. Before that, Bournemouth await in the Premier League on Sunday, and with a performance like Tuesday’s behind him, Szoboszlai will walk into that game carrying expectation as well as confidence.
He insists the real measure of a Liverpool player is not how he looks when things are flowing, but how he responds when they are not.
"There will be games where we are not playing at our best as a team, as personally me or somebody else," he said. "But trust me it is always leave the past and then the next one, the next one, the reaction is what matters."
The reaction has started with a 25-yard rocket in the cup. The next question is whether Szoboszlai can turn that spark into a run that anchors his place at the centre of Iraola’s new Liverpool.
