Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been sensational for both club and country this season.
The Reds star shone in Hungary’s 2-2 draw against Lithuania in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday.
However, Szoboszlai’s impressive regular season stats don’t tell the whole story.
The Liverpool star was initially deployed in a more defensive role in the first half and struggled as the hosts took a 2-0 lead.
Hungary head coach Marco Rossi hoped Szoboszlai could set the tone and dictate the match from a deeper position.
But that was not the case. And after the break, the Liverpool star returned to a more attacking position, where he shone.
He scored a goal (from a penalty) and also had an assist.
Speaking to MTI after the match – via Infostart – Rossi admitted he made a mistake by putting Szoboszlai further back.
“My idea was for Szoboszlai to play football further, but it didn’t work out,” he said. “It’s as if we completely missed the first half, we left a lot of space for the opponent, who took advantage of it.
“The changes made during the break worked, the picture of the game changed completely, we broke through the opponent’s defense several times and therefore had a lot of chances.
“But the Lithuanian goalkeeper defended brilliantly, so we couldn’t win.”
You can see where Rossi is coming from and give him credit for admitting his decision didn’t work.
Szoboszlai is a “brilliant” footballer and it is important to play to his strengths, as was the case later in the match.
According to Sofascore, the Reds’ attacking talent took three shots on goal, played six key passes, completed 60 of 69 passes and made 104 touches.
Szoboszlai also excelled with four precise crosses and two precise long balls and, in addition to his goal and assist, he won seven duels on the ground.
With the international break now over, the 22-year-old will return to Merseyside and look to help Liverpool win the derby this weekend.
