Dominik Szoboszlai‘s absence has been brought up as a key factor that impacted Liverpool in their 1-0 loss to Tottenham and 2-2 draw against Man United, with Arne Slot‘s side lacking in a key area without his presence.
Szoboszlai hasn’t always produced the cutting edge that Liverpool supporters enjoy watching at times this season.
However, his strong performances in December and subsequent absences have brought to light how important he is for Slot.
During Liverpool’s League Cup loss to Tottenham, a criticism levelled at the Reds was the lack of running in behind the opposition backline.
This came in stark contrast to how Liverpool played in their 6-3 demolition at the same ground less than three weeks earlier.
As Liverpool’s most advanced midfielder in the Premier League win, Szoboszlai, had 13 touches in the opposition box as he constantly looked to stretch Spurs’ defence.
However, playing as the Reds’ quasi-No. 10 in the League Cup, Jones had just three touches in the hosts’ penalty area, according to FotMob.
Here, we can also see the contrast in positions the pair took up in the two different games, with Szoboszlai actually playing as somewhat of a false nine in the league, while Jones played a slightly deeper role in the cup.
Liverpool struggled to create clear-cut chances against Tottenham during Wednesday’s first leg, with FotMob reporting the Reds produced just 1.13xG compared to a massive 5.63xG in the Premier League.
The Reds became more of a threat in the second period as they pushed on and dominated more of the ball, holding 67 percent of possession after the break but 58 percent in the first half.
The introduction of Darwin Nunez played a part in this, as the Uruguayan replaced Diogo Jota on the hour mark.
While it was hardly a stellar performance from the No. 9, Nunez’s more direct style did make a difference, providing some of what Liverpool missed due to Szoboszlai’s absence.
Jota is an excellent forward option, but he doesn’t quite possess the same skillset as Nunez.
The Portuguese prefers to pick the ball up deep and run at players, while Nunez is better running onto the ball higher up the pitch.
The Uruguayan had three shots to Jota’s one and produced 0.52xG to Jota’s 0.13xG.
The best example of his greater threat came in the 69th minute, when he ran in behind and onto a nicely-weighted Mo Salah pass, only to have his first-time shot saved by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
This isn’t necessarily a criticism of Jota’s game. Most supporters would agree he is a better asset in the long-term to Liverpool than Nunez.
However, when Szoboszlai isn’t playing, Liverpool’s South American striker might be the better option to stretch the opposition, especially away from home.
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