'Lacked impact': French media unimpressed with £60m Liverpool player despite 2-1 win over Lille
Today at 03:55 AM
Arne Slot resisted any temptation to start Harvey Elliott ahead of Dominik Szoboszlai in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Lille in the Champions League.
Szoboszlai wasn't poor by any means against Brentford, but Elliott enjoyed a superb impact in Liverpool's late win, which came via two goals from Darwin Nunez.
Nunez himself earned a starting spot on Tuesday evening, playing a rare full 90 against Lille, who were led by Jonathan David as their number nine.
David was very complimentary about Liverpool after the match, a side who have now won all seven of their Champions League ties this season.
That being said, French media outlets also provided their reviews of the Liverpool players individual performances, and there were some surprise comments about Szoboszlai in particular.
Dominik Szoboszlai labelled Liverpool’s worst player vs Lille
On the whole, Liverpool's players were rated very highly, a fair reflection on the back of a good win.
However, reviews of Szoboszlai's performance were mixed, with Maxifoot claiming that the £60m midfielder 'lacked impact' in the middle.
Szoboszlai was handed a 4.5/10 rating, the lowest of any Liverpool player.
The review did mention some positives, but overall the French outlet didn't seem too impressed, mentioning the midfielder’s duels as an issue.
Translated from French, they wrote: "Preferred to Mac Allister, the Hungarian left a rather mixed impression. On a technical level, the Liverpool midfielder was good and participated in the control of the Reds.
"However, in the duels, the former RB Leipzig player was often moved and lacked impact when approaching the truth zone. Replaced in the 64th minute by Wataru Endo."
On the other hand, Footmercato were more complimentary about the Liverpool midfielder, handing him a 6/10 and some more encouraging words, even if they also spotted an issue with Szoboszlai in his duels.
They said: "What an effort from the Hungarian, who put in a great performance.
"He didn’t hesitate to come and press the opposing defense, and to steal balls from the opposing feet. He was still a little short in the duels but his game intelligence did the rest."
Liverpool targeting Szoboszlai’s international teammate
All considered, Slot is unlikely to be too concerned about any review of Szoboszlai's performance.
The Hungarian has been excellent for Liverpool at times this season, even if there still is the feeling of more to come from the former RB Leipzig man.
At 24-years-old, there is reason to believe that Szoboszlai will continue to improve, a midfielder who has scored three goals and assisted five times in 28 appearances this term.
Of course, Liverpool want Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, Szoboszlai's international teammate.
Bournemouth seem unlikely to sanction a deal this month, but perhaps that is a move which Slot can pursue in the summer, alongside a new number six to complement Szoboszlai.
