‘No problem’ – Dominik Szoboszlai insists he can replace Fabinho at Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has suggested that he could be deployed in defensive midfield.

The Reds are currently on the hunt for a new holding midfielder, as they prepare to lose Fabinho to Al Ittihad. Without a natural replacement in the squad, all manner of names have been suggested.

But, according to Szoboszlai, they could have an unexpected solution. In quotes from The Daily Mail, the 22-year-old says it’s ‘no problem’ for him to play in the No.6 role, although he’d really prefer not to.

“I just want to be on the pitch!” he says. “But as a number eight, a number 10… if I have to slide back a little bit to take the ball as a No.6? No problem.

“I want to be more towards the goal but, yeah, I’m a box-to-box (midfielder) I would say!”

Something to keep in mind, Jurgen!

We’ve no doubt that for someone as talented as Szoboszlai, he absolutely could play as a No.6 with distinction.

However, playing in that deep-lying position for Liverpool is not the same as playing it for any other side. There’s huge emphasis on whoever is there to anchor it as others push forward around them. It really needs a specialist.

At Anfield, Fabinho excelled at doing that for four out of five years. No one else could we have wished for more. Szoboszlai is not the first player that comes to mind when searching the football world for players with similar traits.

But perhaps his statement reveals what Jurgen Klopp is attempting to do with his new midfield additions.

Perhaps he wants them to be versatile rather than assigning them to a specific position. The versatile midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has also taken on a deeper role at other points in his career.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold likely to continue in his hybrid role, maybe Klopp is fine with having a less specialised midfielder as the deepest.

However, Trent still needs a companion to sit by his side as he controls the action in that situation. In our opinion, that player is either Stefan Bajcetic or Thiago Alcantara at the moment. Szoboszlai is capable of doing it, but we need him to have a better eye for a goal closer to the opponent’s penalty area. Thoughts to ponder abound, though.

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