Dominik Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s best player but his physicality also…

Dominik Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s best player but his physicality also…

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column through which Adam Bate makes use of a mix of data and opinion to replicate on some of the key tales from the latest Premier League matches. This week:

Szoboszlai steps up again – and exhibits what Liverpool lack

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Highlights from the Premier League conflict between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool

Liverpool supporters had been urging Dominik Szoboszlai to fling the ball into the box. They had been anxious. Maybe even his supervisor was too. “It felt to me it was the last moment,” said Arne Slot. “To stay so cool when everyone was expecting the ball to come in…”

It took the swagger of Szoboszlai to take duty, ignore the straightforward passes, shifting left and then proper before producing the cross that led to Liverpool’s 97th-minute winner at Nottingham Forest. Jamie Carragher called it soccer conceitedness on Sky Sports.

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“I think now he has got the arrogance of, ‘I am the best player in this team. I am one of the best players in the Premier League and European football and I am going to make something happen here.’ That comes from confidence, arrogance,” Carragher explained.

How Liverpool may do with more like him because this was a victory that got here with many crimson flags. Slot’s facet appeared completely unable to deal with Forest’s depth during the first half, passing the ball slowly and urgent even slower. They seemed so torpid.

Szoboszlai is the exception, as he has been all season. Mohamed Salah acknowledged not too long ago that Liverpool depend on the Hungarian a lot and the difficulty for Slot is that despite the vitality that he brings to match the class, there is still only considered one of him to select.

Image:
Dominik Szoboszlai’s minutes by place for Liverpool in the Premier League this season

He is having to fill in at right-back because of accidents, resulting in the peculiar spectacle of Liverpool’s standout player of the season being requested to spend a lot of it out of place. He is better than the other choices there. But he is better than them elsewhere as effectively.

Slot needed to transfer him into midfield because Curtis Jones was struggling badly to cowl in there following Florian Wirtz’s injury on the eve of kick-off. “He takes too long on the ball,” said Carragher of Jones, considerably paradoxically given Szoboszlai’s composure late on.

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“It was about having more control over their midfield,” revealed Slot. Szoboszlai’s high quality in possession has been important too. He created 5 probabilities against Forest. The remainder of his teammates mustered three between them. But it is this physicality that is key.

The outrageous free-kicks against Arsenal and Manchester City deservedly garnered headlines and there have been many more key contributions in the Champions League. But while others have produced moments none evaluate by way of working energy.

Image:
Dominik Szoboszlai has made more sprints than any other Liverpool player this season

He ranks top for Liverpool by way of distance lined and sprints. More worryingly, he appears to be playing at a different tempo to his colleagues. “We face players of … different physicality,” recognised Slot in his press convention after the game at the City Ground.

Liverpool realize it is an issue, an imbalance. They are experiencing it too often in the Premier League. And in Szoboszlai they’ve an instance proper there on their very own training floor of the requirements that the remainder of the squad might want to attain if they’re to deal with it.

Forest aggression exhibits Pereira influence

There was a line in Vitor Pereira’s press convention after the defeat to Liverpool when his issues had been in comparison with ‘all his predecessors this season’ – not even each but all. He is Nottingham Forest’s fourth head coach of the current campaign, in fact.

But while there have been definitely similarities with Forest’s earlier games by way of the poor ending, this was one thing different against Liverpool. It was a front-footed strategy against a big team that confirmed what these gamers are actually able to producing.

Sean Dyche’s type had aggravated supporters because it presupposed that this was a restricted group. That never chimed effectively with admirers of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. With Ibrahim Sangare shining behind them, they dominated early on.

They did so by being aggressive. Forest gained possession of the ball seven occasions in Liverpool’s defensive third in the opening 45 minutes. Only Sunderland against Bournemouth have gained it more occasions in that zone of the pitch in the first half of a game this season.

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Forest had not gained it high more than 4 occasions in the first half of any game this season previous to this and completed the contest with a season-high variety of high regains. It was a really different Forest show. “We played very good football with the ball,” said Pereira.

“Switching play to the other side, creating problems in the counter-attack, creating problems in the organised attack.” Unfortunately, they drained. “The second half was not the same, because of course it is impossible to have the same energy,” he explained.

Unable to “keep with our pressure, to keep the block higher” the sample modified. Perhaps it will likely be an issue if Forest go deep in Europe and this type proves unworkable given the fixture calls for. But it hinted at a possible that has been wasted this season.

Haaland’s report touches in new position

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Highlights from the Premier League match between Man City and Newcastle

It was added-time within added-time when Erling Haaland cleared the ball from inside his personal penalty box for the final time to assist Manchester City maintain on for a 2-1 win over Newcastle that saved up the stress on Arsenal. He would make some centre-back.

No City player made more clearances in the game. Haaland himself had made more clearances in only two of his earlier 123 Premier League appearances. It was also the most touches that the big Norwegian striker has ever had in a Premier League match.

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That total contribution helps to elucidate why Pep Guardiola made the case for Haaland to be the player of the match despite Nico O’Reilly’s two targets. It was his completely directed cross that arrange O’Reilly for what turned out to be the game’s successful objective.

It was a seventh help of the Premier League season. Only Bruno Fernandes has more. “He is an incredible, generous player,” said Guardiola. “I will never forget what Erling has done for us.” Contrast that with his comments after the win over Liverpool.

On that event, Haaland scored the winner himself but Guardiola was less effusive in his reward. “I know it’s an incredibly difficult task [against Ibrahima] Konate and [Virgil] van Dijk, to win those balls, but the second half [they did] not even try,” he complained.

Haaland couldn’t be accused of that throughout his bruising battle with Dan Burn. Perhaps the 10-day break explains it. Having not featured against Salford, this was the longest hole between his appearances for each club and nation thus far this season.

Image:
Erling Haaland’s contact map in Manchester City’s win over Newcastle

Visibly sharper as a result, Haaland’s better involvement also displays the slight change of position for him since Omar Marmoush returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. He now has a strike accomplice in Guardiola’s 4-2-2-2 system, enabling him to chop in from the proper.

Haaland is exhibiting more to his game, working at defences somewhat than being a more static presence up top as the game occurs in entrance of him. Will he score more? Maybe not. But it is enjoyable seeing this facet of him. And it is what City want from him proper now.

Hurzeler turns to experience at Brighton

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Highlights from Brentford’s match against Brighton in the Premier League

When Brighton performed Sunderland in December, Fabian Hurzeler picked what was, at the time, the youngest team to seem in any Premier League game this season. It has since been surpassed by Chelsea but that facet had a mean age of under 24.

The common age of the Brighton team that Hurzeler picked against Brentford on Saturday was 29 – among the oldest in the Premier League. It is extremely uncommon for the same club to pick line-ups at reverse ends of the age spectrum within the same season.

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James Milner discusses his record-breaking 654th Premier League look

In got here James Milner at the age of 40 to interrupt the Premier League look report. Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Danny Welbeck all began. “At the moment we try to find the team that is the most stable, reliable and resilient in this situation,” said Hurzeler.

“These are attitudes that are very important at the moment for our team.” And so it proved. Brighton defeated an in-form Brentford facet 2-0 away from residence, assuaging some of the stress on their coach after a run of 1 win in 13 Premier League games.

There is comprehensible frustration with Hurzeler. He has made some curious picks and substitutions, picked gamers in odd positions and customarily presided over a interval during which Brighton’s identification on the pitch has turn into less obvious.

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But there must be some acknowledgement that his team boasts so few peak-age gamers that consistency of performance is always prone to be difficult. Brighton’s squad is filled with gamers who’re years away from their prime – for very different causes.

It might be a difficult rebuild because these older gamers can’t keep it up for much longer and the kids don’t seem able to step up. Will Hurzeler get the alternative to supervise it? That is not clear but this safety-first choice buys him a bit more time.

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