Philippe Coutinho has not played better football than under Jurgen Klopp. The Brazilian was the absolute sensation at Anfield until January 2018, when Barcelona threw the house out of the window to bring him to the Camp Nou for €135 million. Coutinho was the glue for the trident of Salah, Mané, and Firmino. The edgy piece of Klopp’s “new Liverpool”. A player who could be a midfielder but at the same time poses a constant threat to the opposing goal, either as an assistant or as a goalscorer.
Things weren’t going badly for Liverpool without the Brazilian, but Klopp always missed that type of player. The German coach had to reinvent himself. Oxlade Chamberlain, Wijnaldum, or to a lesser extent Naby Keita, tried to close that gap with mixed results up until this summer. Mané and Firmino are already “Network” history; now come Luis Daz, Darwin Nez, Diogo Jota and… Dominik Szoboszlai (22 years old, Hungary) The Hungarian fell to his feet in Liverpool. In the premiere, it’s overwhelming. Szoboszlai plays much further back than he was used to in his last Bundesliga season at Leipzig and reminds Liverpool fans of the best version of Coutinho. And Klopp rubs his hands over one of the summer’s new arrivals. He was left without Bellingham, who favored Real Madrid, but found the Hungarian midfielder, who has also been on Real Madrid’s agenda in the past. He paid 70 million euros, which seems low given the forthcoming development.
“It’s been four pretty impressive games. He is tactically intelligent, totally ready for the dirty part of the game, hardworking, and generous in action. Run, Pass, advance, and kill opponents. And what a goal! I saw it from behind—the cleanest shot I’ve seen in a long time!” Klopp was amazed by Szoboszlai’s great game against Aston Villa, which was also the Hungarian’s first goal in the Premier League. It seems Szoboszlai’s time at Liverpool has come.
