Journalist suggests despite assist Liverpool star upsets balance of team

Lynch suggests Liverpool star upsets team balance despite assist

Dominik Szoboszlai’s assist against Crystal Palace did not resolve the questions surrounding his place in Liverpool’s midfield, according to David Lynch.

Speaking on Anfield Index’s Media Matters podcast, the journalist argued that the Hungarian’s contribution from deliveries into the penalty area should not obscure concerns about his positioning, pressing and passing in deeper areas.

Liverpool secured another away victory, but Lynch felt their midfield remained too easy to play through. For him, the result and individual attacking returns should be assessed alongside the quality of the overall performance.

Szoboszlai’s contribution leaves wider questions

Lynch’s criticism centred on whether Szoboszlai currently gives Liverpool enough across every phase of the game.

“I think you can’t carry a player purely for set-piece threat. You just can’t,” he said.

Discussing the midfielder’s chances created, Lynch suggested most, if not all, had originated from set-piece situations. His broader concern was what happened between those deliveries, when Liverpool needed to retain possession, advance through midfield and prevent Palace from breaking forward.

“You can’t put someone in the XI just for the set-piece threat because the fact is you’ve got to carry them then through the phases of the game,” he added.

That does not diminish the value of an assist. It questions whether the attacking reward compensates for difficulties elsewhere in the team.

Pressing and passing require improvement

Lynch highlighted two areas raised by Daniel Sturridge before the match: pressing more intelligently and showing greater ambition when passing through opposition lines.

“He wanted him to press smarter and he wanted him to take more risks with the ball in terms of firing it through the lines, breaking lines, getting it into the final third,” Lynch said.

“He has that passing range, but he’s way too safe in it sometimes, and so he doesn’t progress the ball quickly enough.”

For Lynch, energetic running does not always translate into effective defending. Arriving too quickly can allow an opponent to escape pressure, leaving the midfielder unable to make a meaningful challenge.

His assessment was that Szoboszlai had not improved sufficiently in either area against Palace.

“He just didn’t do them well enough for me, and I still think a lot of the same problems were there.”

Nyoni offers a more reassuring combination

Lynch increasingly favours Trey Nyoni alongside Alexis Mac Allister, although he stressed that the teenager cannot start every fixture.

“I feel much safer if it’s Trey Nyoni and Alexis Mac Allister on the team sheet in the majority of the games going forward,” he said.

That preference comes with practical limitations. Nyoni is still adapting to regular senior football, and Liverpool must manage his workload rather than treat him as an automatic solution.

Lynch also resisted placing all responsibility for the Palace midfield problems on Szoboszlai. He felt Mac Allister made mistakes too, despite scoring and providing his usual commitment.

The issue, therefore, is how the combination functions. Liverpool need a pairing capable of supporting attacks without repeatedly exposing the players behind them.

Iraola faces a difficult positional decision

Lynch believes Szoboszlai’s strongest role may be different from the one Liverpool’s current system requires.

“I think it’s a number eight in a 4-3-3, but the problem is Liverpool are just not playing that,” he said.

“They’re going to play two sixes and a 10.”

With Florian Wirtz improving in the advanced position, finding the right place for Szoboszlai becomes more complicated. His recent contract extension adds significance to that question, but Lynch stopped short of declaring the experiment finished.

“I’m maybe not at the point yet where I’m completely writing it off,” he said.

For now, the assist offers evidence of Szoboszlai’s quality. Lynch’s concern is whether Liverpool can accommodate that quality while achieving the control their midfield still lacks.