Dominik Szoboszlai was singled out in a fresh tactical discussion as one of the clearest fits for Andoni Iraola’s more aggressive, pressing and direct approach at Liverpool, a shift that immediately refocuses questions about where the Hungary international would play under the new plan.
Interest in Szoboszlai has spiked because analysts pointed to a season of standout internal numbers as Liverpool opened voting for the 2025-26 Standard Chartered Men's Player of the Season; those rankings make the selection problem real this week rather than abstract. Michael Reid described Szoboszlai’s outputs as "scary" and said he was "all first, second, and third" across Liverpool’s internal lists, a shorthand that captured why tactical thinkers are talking about him now.
The raw figures Reid highlighted back the argument. Szoboszlai finished joint first for assists and equal fourth for league goals. He topped the club for chances created, was second for shots and second for touches, third for completed passes, and ranked second for both tackles and interceptions. Reid also noted that Szoboszlai won possession more than any other Liverpool player — a stat that speaks directly to the sort of pressing currency Iraola prizes.
Those numbers shape the tactical reading. Dave Davis said Szoboszlai and Iraola were "a match made in heaven" for a more direct, high-intensity style. Reid argued Szoboszlai can be moved around the midfield to suit Iraola — he floated the idea of him operating in a double pivot and even compared a potential deeper role to Bournemouth's Alex Scott — and added that Szoboszlai could do "whatever Iraola wants him to do," from a midfield two to a more advanced role. Davis suggested Iraola might view him as both "the 10" and "the presser" from Liverpool’s title-winning blueprint.
That versatility is also the source of the immediate headache. Reid cut to the central selection snag plainly: "the problem is you’ve got Florian Wirtz who wants to play there." If Szoboszlai occupies the central attacking area — as a 10 or the presser — it collides with Wirtz’s stated preferences and leaves the manager to choose which balance of personnel preserves Liverpool’s midfield strength while sustaining its pressing intensity. Reid warned against shoehorning Szoboszlai at right back — "What we don’t want to see, I think, is him play right back anymore" — arguing that "If he’s at right back, our midfield is weaker," even while adding, "I really like him as a winger as well." The result is a genuine selection squeeze: Szoboszlai can cover multiple roles, but that flexibility does not erase the fact that another high-quality player wants the same space.
Put plainly, the conversation has moved from whether Szoboszlai can press and create to where he should press and create. If Iraola preserves the high press and directness analysts expect, the coach must choose whether to push Szoboszlai deeper in a double pivot, slot him in as a No. 10 with Wirtz pushed elsewhere, or shift Szoboszlai wide — each choice rearranges Liverpool’s midfield balance and alters the team’s turnover and chance-creation profile that Reid flagged as exceptional.
The unanswered question now is tactical and urgent: will Iraola reconfigure the midfield to accommodate both Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz in the same attacking area, or will he redeploy Szoboszlai into a deeper or wider role to protect midfield cohesion? That decision will determine whether Liverpool keeps the statistical advantages Reid catalogued while fitting two players who both want to shape the game from similar territory.
