Liverpool continued their 100% start to the 2024/25 Champions League campaign after beating RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night. One goal from Darwin Nunez was all it took as the Reds returned from Germany with a 1-0 victory. It’s their third straight win to start the competition and is the latest example of an excellent beginning to the Arne Slot era at Anfield.
The Merseyside team are now sitting top of the Premier League and second in the Champions League table. It’s been an excellent start to life without Jurgen Klopp and Wednesday was a testament to how good things have been. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows against Leipzig, though.
Related
Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool: Player Ratings and Match Highlights
Liverpool’s 100% record in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League remains intact after a win against RB Leipzig.
While, for the most part, it was a solid performance from the Reds squad, one player left a lot to be desired. So much so, in fact, that Slot should consider taking him out of the side for the team’s match against Arsenal at the weekend and replace him with someone who dominated against Chelsea recently.
Dominik Szboszlai vs RB Leipzig
The midfielder had a tough evening
While Liverpool were impressive against RB Leipzig, Dominik Szoboszlai was not. The Hungarian struggled to make much of an impact in the middle of the park against his former team. There were large portions of the contest where he acted as a passenger. Worryingly, it’s not the first time he’s disappointed this season.
In fact, after a blistering start to life in England at the start of the 2023/24 season when Klopp first signed him, Szoboszlai has struggled at Anfield. His form has dipped significantly in comparison to those first few months with the Reds and he’s considered one of the most disappointing players in the Premier League this season. His performance against Leipzig was the latest example of that.
Throughout the match, the midfielder lost possession on 10 separate occasions, highlighting how careless he was with the ball at times. He was also rather ineffective defensively, losing the majority of his ground duels. He failed to connect on any of his long-balls too. He stepped things up a little in the second half, making three key passes, but it was still a below-par performance from the star. Arsenal are one of the best sides in the world right now and if Liverpool start with someone playing like that in the middle of the park, the Gunners could make them pay.
Curtis Jones Should Start Against Arsenal
He dominated against Chelsea last time out in the league
Considering how disappointing Szoboszlai has been recently, Curtis Jones would have had a solid case for starting against Arsenal on Sunday anyway, but taking into account just how good he was last time out against Chelsea, he has done more than enough to earn the opportunity.
The midfielder was here, there and everywhere against the Blues during their Premier League clash last weekend and earned the praise of Gary Neville after the fact. While Szoboszlai often floated aimlessly during the Reds’ match with Leipzig, Jones did anything but against Enzo Maresca’s men. The Englishman was elite on both sides of the pitch, winning a penalty for his side, scoring the winner and also contributing defensively. Jones won six of his eight ground duels against Chelsea, as well as recording a block and an interception.
Analysing his performance on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night, former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez described Jones’ showing as a ‘fantastic job’ while also highlighting the areas of his game that were so impressive. He said:
“We were talking about players, but the reality you see now, when you talk about long balls and second balls, he’s going for the second ball. He’s holding ball and dribbling past players. He showed here quality and character to do what he’s doing. I like this one especially, I’m always looking for a midfielder that understands what is going on around him. He’s watching behind, he can see the space. He finds the space and goes forward, [if] he cannot, he goes backwards and keeps the ball.
Again he finds the space and goes both sides of the midfielder. Now you see a change of pace [for his goal], the timing to get into the box and after he finishes with the right foot which is quite difficult. Here we see him on the floor tackling, using the body, he’s strong and wins a foul for the team. He did a fantastic job.”
That’s pretty incredible praise from someone like Benitez who has coached some of the most talented footballers of all-time. Szoboszlai just isn’t quite at the level that Liverpool will need him to be through the tough stretch of matches they’re currently in the midst of. Jones is just the better option heading into the Arsenal game and Slot would be wise to return to the 23-year-old.
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore & Transfermarkt and accurate as of 23/10/2024
About Author
You may also like
-
The NFL’s Most Surprising Team Claims the Top Spot
-
10 Sets of Football Teammates That Openly Disliked Each Other
-
Liverpool eyeing Filipe Luis as their next manager
-
When Lisandro Martínez will return for Manchester United as fresh injury update emerges
-
Kieran McKenna Responds to Celtic Job Links After Rodgers Exit