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Liverpool legend labels criticism of Reds ace ‘unfair’ but admits he needs to do better

John Aldridge believes that some of the criticism surrounding one Liverpool player is ‘unfair’ but has admitted that the man in question is capable of much better than what he’s shown recently.

Despite being a constant starter in the early weeks of Arne Slot’s reign, the performances of Dominik Szoboszlai have been questioned by many Reds supporters on social media, and he was visibly annoyed at being substitued in Saturday’s narrow win over Wolves.

In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, ex-LFC striker Aldridge insisted that the Hungarian boasts extraordinary potential but hasn’t shown it of late.

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The 66-year-old wrote: “I’ve heard some people suggest that Szoboszlai thinks he is better than he actually is, but I think that’s a touch unfair on him. What’s definitely true, though, is that he can be better than he is showing right now for Liverpool.

“When he first arrived, he looked a world-beater and adapted to the Premier League almost instantly. The last nine months or so, though, have been a lot more difficult. Szoboszlai could be an exceptional player. He really could. He has everything in his locker to be a quality player in the modern game.”

Aldridge added: “Szoboszlai is clearly a big talent and for good reason was he named Hungary captain at such a young age, but he’s not the end product yet, and has to realise he must keep on working at his game. You’re never too old to learn, believe me.”

Szoboszlai looked reinvigorated in the first three games of the season, and his goal against AC Milan a fortnight ago was the ideal riposte to those who’d been critical of his lack of end product for Liverpool.

However, those concerns came to the fore again on Saturday when the Hungarian failed to convert a gilt-edged chance from close range when the score was 0-0, and that miss seemed to play on his mind as he endured an otherwise subdued evening at Molineux.

As argued by Andy Jones for The Athletic, the 23-year-old boasts the ‘power and athleticism’ to be the archetypal number 10 for Slot’s system, along with heaps of technical quality, but can all too often frustrate fans with poor decision-making or loose ball control.

Admittedly the hamstring injury midway through last season which stalled Szoboszlai when he was thriving came at an inopportune time and might go some way to explaining his subsequent drop-off, although he’s still played enough football since then to have scored more than three goals since the beginning of March.

We agree that some of the online criticism of the Hungary captain has been over the top, although his sensational performances in his first few months at Liverpool explain why he’s held to such high standards, as we’ve seen that he’s capable of producing far more than what he’s shown for most of 2024.

He still has sufficient youth and talent on his side to suggest that, as the campaign goes on, he’ll settle into his role and go on to earn the same rave reviews which are currently being bestowed upon fellow midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

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