Simply watching an attacking player’s goals and assists can be a risky game to play.
Rarely can you fully grasp their tactical understanding or role within the team.
Dominik Szoboszlai finds it difficult to not sit back and enjoy the show.
The Hungarian is well-known for his clean ball-striking and wondrous technique — making for a highly enjoyable highlights reel — but a strong season of consistent, technically proficient performances have put many clubs across Europe on high alert.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s textbook: Straight from the Dominik Szoboszlai book💥
🔴⚪ #WeAreLeipzig pic.twitter.com/Cw6GynVdzf
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) September 13, 2022
LiverpoolSzoboszlai is the one thing that looks to want to take away. RB LeipzigWith a The Athletic reporting that the Premier League club met with 22-year-old’s representatives this weekThe deal appears to be possible, and the parties involved seem to have received confidence in this.
If that move were to materialise, it would end Szoboszlai’s five-year association with the Red Bull pathway. The player, who left Hungary in 2016 at 16 years old to join FC Liefering Austrian club, has now moved from Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.
And while it may seem like he has had a smooth trajectory to this point, Szoboszlai’s start to life in East Germany was tough, having arrived at Leipzig in December 2020 with an adductor injury that prevented him from making his debut until the following August.
Szoboszlai, in his first full-season, struggled to establish himself on his new team. He was named more often (15) as a starter than off the bench (16) during an arduous season. BundesligaThis season, Domenico Tedesco took over from Jesse Marsch and his RB-favorite approach.
Nevertheless, Szoboszlai still logged six league goals and eight assists, which he matched in 2022-23 as he became a fixture in latest-boss Marco Rose’s revitalised Leipzig side — with the Hungarian capping the season off with a goal against Eintracht FrankfurtIn DFB-Pokal Final Victory. Szoboszlai was the only Leipzig centre-back to play more minutes than Willi orban in all competitions during last season, a testament to his strength and importance.
Szoboszlai’s positional versatility is a key asset.
While he has frequently played as a right midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 or a 4-2-3-1 under Rose, you wouldn’t frame him as an out-and-out winger, but rather a creative attacking midfielder who pulls wide.
Crucially, Szoboslai is equally comfortable on the left flank, as he has shown at club level and international level — regularly playing as a left-sided attacking midfielder in Marco Rossi’s 3-4-3 structure with Hungary.
Szoboszlai, whether he’s cutting in on the left or the right, has a tendency to play sharp balls ahead of him. Or he can unleash one of his trademark long-range shots.
That’s right, the numbers support what your eyes have seen: only Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane has had more shots from outside the box than Szoboslai in the 2022-23 Bundesliga season.
Only two of these strikes were scored last season. The xG gods would probably warn you against making too many attempts at rangeSzoboszlai gets a longer rope when you look at how fervently he strikes the ball.
It is best exemplified in his outrageous long-range effort against Borussia Dortmund in Marco Rose’s first game as Leipzig manager (see tweet above).
Szoboszlai is a powerful and accurate weapon that can be used in a central position with minimal backlift.
It is a goal that gets better with every angle you view it from — as the ball swerves away from goalkeeper Alexander Meyer’s reach.
The player’s dead-ball technique is equally impressive. A long-ranged free-kick to the top corner of the goal against Bulgaria was added to his impressive collection in March.
Stopping him is not as easy as knowing what he’s going to do.
You can also read about the advantages of using The AthleticPrevious reports have been made. Szoboszlai used to practice 200 free kicks a day in his teenage days.Finding the right technique for him.
The dead-ball strike technique is one of his most important weapons. It allows him to maintain a fairly upright posture and still be able move the ball.
This can also be seen in his unerring ability to drop the ball on a sixpence with consummate ease when taking a corner — a technique that needs to be seen in real time to be truly appreciated.
Szoboszlai’s creative output is not limited to set pieces.
Overall, the Hungarian’s 2.6 chances created per 90 was the ninth-highest among all players in the Bundesliga last season. You might assume that a healthy volume of that creativity would be unfairly padded by set pieces, but Szoboszlai’s 1.7 open-play chances created per 90 was still among the best in Germany — good enough for the 11th highest in the league.
However, it is not just the final pass or the final shot where Szoboszlai steps up, but his overall contribution towards his side’s attacking sequences.
Looking at all shot-creating actions — which are the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, take-ons and drawing fouls — Szoboszlai’s 5.5 per 90 is the highest across the Leipzig squad.
When you look at his actions in the open and from dead ball situations, it is clear that he is a real threat.
Considering his position on the right flank, crosses from wide were understandably a key part of Szoboszlai’s chance creation last season.
However, rather than a lofted or whipped ball into the penalty area every time, the Hungarian is intelligent in disguising his passes — often taking the pace off the ball and playing it lower to deceive the opposition.
Consider this example: Augsburg. Andre Silva was at the goalpost as Szoboszlai arrived on the ball. With two defenders between man and ball, a chipped pass might look like the best option (yellow dotted line) but, instead, Szoboszlai elects to play the ball across the turf (white line) into space…
… for Silva to convert unmarked at the back post, with Augsburg’s defenders wrong-footed by the disguised pass.
Kevin De Bruyne-esque, you might say.
This is a very similar example against Teutonia. A lofted ball from Szoboszlai would seem to be the easiest route for Silva (yellow dot line). Instead, a square ball to Silva (white line) gives his team-mate a yard of space with the defenders dropping towards their goal line…
… allowing him to finish well.
Szoboszlai’s technical ability is unquestionable, but having the intelligence to select the best option and make the right decisions in key moments is what sets the best players apart.
How about the physical?
Szoboszlai may be a wide-player, but he is unlikely in a one on one situation to blow away his opponent. While he is not a fast player over short distances – his opponents often underestimate his ability to go into top gear.
Per Bundesliga’s metrics, powered by AWS, Szoboszlai’s top speed of 35.2 kmh (21.9mph) places him as the 31st highest among all players in the Bundesliga — not bad at all when you consider the 506-strong sample across Germany’s top division.
Physical capacity can be misleading. Although he may not be considered an all-action player in Europe when compared to other wide players, no Leipzig team-mate registered more intensive runs than Szoboszlai’s 2,069 in the Bundesliga last season. His 863 sprints ranked seventh among all Bundesliga players last season.
Szoboszlai’s confidence should be boosted by these numbers. Premier LeagueA smooth transition should an event occur.
Noteworthy is the fact that there have been several a There are a few players who move from Germany to England but haven’t quite met the expectations set at their previous clubs — Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Jadon Sancho and Naby Keita, to name a few — but the technical and physical profile of Szoboszlai suggests that risk would likely be blunted.
Last but not least, we have the tactical side.
You can also contact us by clicking here. Early on in his career, defensive weaknesses were flagged.Szoboszlai’s game, both in and out possession, improved significantly last season.
Liverpool’s leading suitors will be confident of Szoboszlai, who has played in a Red Bull system that is synonymous with intense transitional play and highly intense play. Szoboszlai can also adapt to the Jurgen Klopp tactical system easily.
Only Bayern Munich logged a more intense press than Leipzig’s PPDA of 11.1 demonstrated last season, with Die Roten also the only side to register more direct attacks — as a proxy of counter-attacking — than Leipzig’s 77 in 2022-23.
Szoboszlai has been key to Rose’s strong transition set-up — staying high when Leipzig lose possession in order to regain the ball in lucrative areas.
Szoboszlai’s performance against Stuttgart is a perfect example.
As midfielder Amadou Haidara plays a lofted ball into the box, Szoboszlai is on the half turn — ready to drift forward and pick up any second ball that might land to him.
When the ball is cleared by Leipzig, four players are in an attack position ready to pounce.
The ball is headed to Silva on the edge of the area…
… who cushions his header to Szoboszlai…
… to bring down and arrow his volley into the bottom corner with the sort of technical proficiency you expect from him.
Leipzig’s 46 shot-ending high turnovers were also the second-highest tally in Germany last season. So, from an offensive and defensive perspective, Szoboszlai’s narrow position from the right could be a glimpse into the manner in which Liverpool would like him to play.
After a The final third of the season saw a tactical change to a three box-three possession structure., Liverpool’s midfield consisted of two holding No 6s in their build-up — FabinhoInverting the equation Trent Alexander-Arnold — plus two advanced No 8s (or 10s) who would support the attack.
Follow the Alexis Mac Allister, a versatile midfielder, has been signed by the club from Brighton, could Szoboszlai be earmarked for the right-sided No 10 position in Klopp’s new system?
The Hungarian is already adept at playing in (a version of) a box midfield within Leipzig’s typical 4-2-2-2 set-up, while his long-range shooting could be a useful weapon against deeper blocks sitting off against Liverpool; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has only recently left the club, was known to have been encouraged by Liverpool staff to shoot from distance due to his own powerful technique.
Whether Liverpool are the ones to secure Szoboszlai’s signature or not, the player hot property across Europe, and looks ready to make another step up in his career after a highly impressive campaign in Germany.
(Top photo: Maja Hitij via Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)
