Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, came into the side in the last year of Jürgen Klopp’s tenure as Liverpool manager and slotted in seamlessly into the team. However, he did not have as much time to spend with the charismatic German and is now adapting to a new style – that of Arne Slot. In that time, the Hungarian has noticed a few key differences between both managers’ styles and how it has affected his general output as a football player employed by the six-time UEFA Champions League winners.
“Now we are more on the ball,” said Szoboszlai as the key difference between both managers. “We are more calm. The players who have a lot of quality, they have time to think about what to do.”
“With Jürgen, we would win the ball and go directly to the goal and score, which was actually working. But now there is a difference that we have more of the ball, are more calm and build up from behind.”
“Jürgen was the 12th man. If he could, he would run on to the pitch and do some tackles or whatever. The new manager is more calm. He knows that what we plan will work out somehow if we do it.”
“12th man” aptly describes the former Liverpool manager, who is currently enjoying a well-earned rest from football after nine gruelling years in which he battled one of the world’s most obsessive football characters in Pep Guardiola. The fans are also getting used to Slot’s new style, which has produced six wins from seven (one loss) in the Premier League so far. The difference is as Szoboszlai described, in that Klopp’s style tended to produce more attacking output leading to more goals and excitement on the pitch.
The former RB Leipzig man is slowly becoming a key figure in the Reds midfield under Slot as well, which is something that he greatly appreciates. While being a fantastic player, his qualities were not exactly suited to Klopp’s style, leading to his struggles towards the end of the season. He has attributed his rejuvenation to Slot and – surprisingly – Erling Haaland of Manchester City.
Both men played together at RB Salzburg before going to Germany – Haaland to Borussia Dortmund and Szoboszlai to Leipzig. The Hungarian revealed that he received advice from Haaland on his career which he initially resisted but is now applying after seeing the striker’s success at Manchester City.
“I learned a lot from him because he was more grown than me,” said Szoboszlai. “He is only three months older but it felt like it was three years older.”
“He would do stuff that I could never imagine would help me but over time I realised, yes, he is right so I should start.”
