Former Liverpool stars Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher have reached the same conclusion on Dominik Szoboszlai, with both feeling Andoni Iraola may have a problem

Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher both feel Dominik Szoboszlai might pose a problem for Liverpool, with the former insisting the Reds “need to see more” from the midfielder.

Szoboszlai came into the season off the back of a superb individual 2025/26 campaign, despite Liverpool’s struggles in Arne Slot’s final year in charge.

The Hungarian was rewarded with a new contract during the summer, and he has been tipped as a future captain of the club as Virgil van Dijk moves into the final months of his deal at Anfield. In spite of that, Szoboszlai’s place in the side isn’t guaranteed at the moment.

Injuries have seen him miss a number of games so far this season, while Trey Nyoni’s form has seen him enter the conversation to start in midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, who has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers.

Szoboszlai got the nod from Andoni Iraola to start against Crystal Palace on Sunday, but Carragher isn’t too too sure about his spot.

“I think in his [Iraola’s] head right now, I would say he thinks that’s his best team,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.

“Now, the discussion that has been there all pre-season and all season is the balance of Liverpool’s midfield. You’ve got Szoboszlai there and Mac Allister - again, individually, two really good players, talented players, but do they work as a partnership in there?

“Trey Nyoni really is the only midfield player Liverpool have right now who almost sees danger, stays in that position, stays in the middle of the pitch, and can actually play there as well.

“You think of Crystal Palace today, how would they win the game? You’d probably think it would be on the counter-attack and maybe set-pieces if they get some, so will Liverpool’s midfielders vacate that position a lot? Yes, Szoboszlai will, that’s one of the reasons why he’s probably not 100 percent suited, I think, to that double pivot.”

Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kit

Liverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.

Sturridge agreed with Carragher’s point about about the amount of space given up in midfield with Szoboszlai in the team, and urged the Hungarian to think more about his role.

“I think, for me, it’s about, in his mind, managing how much he presses and when to go, as opposed to just pressing for pressing’s sake,” Sturridge said.

“I’m not saying that he does that all the time, but I think the reason why Liverpool are open is because they don’t have someone who’s reading in front of the defense, and both of the midfielders, whether it’s Mac Allister or Szoboszlai, have a tendency to vacate that space in front of the defense because of the press the manager wants to do.

“For me, it’s about him understanding ‘okay, I’m going to play those passes in between the lines, I am going to press, I have that intent.’ That’s his game, he works hard, he presses with that fierce action.

“But, I need to see a bit more of a smart way of pressing from him as well. Feeding the players early, in between the lines, and playing with a bit more risk in his game. Feeding [Bradley] Barcola, playing diagonal passes, because we know he’s got a fantastic pass, we know he’s got really good technique.

“Can you get the ball, can you be whipping balls into players, getting it into them early, giving them a bit more time? And then get some shots off. We know you can shoot from distance, we need to see more of it.”