Dominik Szoboszlai's rise from golf balls and small boots to new Liverpool hero
Before the season started, the chat around Anfield was about how Dominik Szoboszlai would need time to adapt.
He was just 22 and had arrived in the Premier League from RB Leipzig. Great things shouldn’t have been expected immediately from the Hungarian. Liverpool also shelled out £60million to trigger his release clause at Leipzig and many Kopites were left hoping he would be more Ibrahima Konate than Naby Keita.
As it has proved, he is neither and instead he is reminiscent of the most famous wearer of Liverpool's No.8 shirt - Steven Gerrard. Before we start, I’m not going to say Szoboszlai is the new Gerrard because there will only ever be one Gerrard for Liverpool fans.
But the way Szoboszlai hit his screamer on Wednesday night was pure Gerrard. He hit his unstoppable effort into the top corner from the edge of the box within five minutes of coming on at Anfield against Leicester and his goal turned the tie Liverpool's way.
His energy and dynamism are also reminiscent of Gerrard and the difference between Liverpool’s midfield this season and last is as clear as night and day. Now Liverpool have goals, assists and running in their midfield.
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Their defence has an effective protective shield in front of it instead of just a colander. Alexis MacAllister, and to a lesser extent fellow new signings Endo Wataru and Ryan Gravenberch, also deserve credit and Liverpool now have a midfield to compete with any in the Premier League.
Szoboszlai’s maturity also helps greatly and the midfielder, who already captains his country, is old beyond his 22 years. He spoke excellent English when he arrived at Anfield and this has been an asset - just compare his start to Darwin Nunez’s 12 months ago as the Uruguayan struggled to master the language.
His dad, Zsolt, who played in Hungary’s lower leagues, played a leading role in his development. Szoboszlai quotes him as his footballing hero and Zsolt had his son dribbling round plastic bottles in his living room as a kid. If he knocked one over, he had to pick it up and start again.
He also made him practice with golf balls in his hands to cut out pulling at shirts and instead focus on his feet. Zsolt even made him play in small boots to stop his feet growing and now he wears size sevens, despite being 6ft 1ins.
Steven Gerrard was Liverpool's talisman for more than a decade (Getty Images)Do you agree with David Anderson? Let us know in the comments below!
Zsolt is inspired by Hungary’s greatest player, Ferenc Puskas, and believes small feet equate to better ball control. Whatever the outcome of Zsolt’s unusual methods, Liverpool have a player who is rapidly becoming one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
He runs more than any of his team-mates, is faster than any of them and brings goals to Liverpool’s midfield. Assists will surely follow and there is a cleverness to his play in the way he reads the game.
It seems laughable now that three months ago, his £60m fee felt excessive. Instead in a market completely wrecked by Chelsea’s ridiculous spending, that £60million looks like one of the soundest investments of the summer and Jurgen Klopp’s fingerprints were all over his signing.
Of course, the Reds haven’t bought Szoboszlai to make a profit and Klopp wants his Liverpool 2.0, as he calls them, to win trophies. Szoboszlai gives them an excellent chance of doing just that.
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