Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes Dominik Szoboszlai is the Reds’ unsung hero in midfield, after another “impressive performance” from the 25-year-old against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Arne Slot’s side ended a spell of six defeats in seven games in all competitions with a win against Aston Villa on Saturday and backed it up by overpowering their La Liga opponents at Anfield.
“Arne Slot has been trying to get some continuity in his back four and midfield,” Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast. “They were trying to get back to what they were doing best last season and they did that against Real Madrid.
“It’s a huge step forward and now it’s about drip feeding their newer players in, but first they will have to come to terms with how Liverpool play and why Liverpool were successful last season.
“Over recent weeks it has been a bit too easy to get at Liverpool’s defence through their midfield, but it’s almost as if they’ve had a meeting and the defenders have told the midfielders that they need to be protected more.
“Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch weren’t great at the start of this season, but they have been really impressive in the past two games. They have to continue that form now.
“It’s imperative you have those two on the pitch but when you add in Dominik Szoboszlai, wow! The energy he has, the recovery challenges he makes and the way he gets to the edge of the penalty area is so impressive.
“There was talk about Florian Wirtz taking his place but he has said: ‘Absolutely not, you’re not having my place’.”
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