Liverpool fans have lashed out at Dominik Szoboszlai following his performance in his side's shock 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday (September 14). The Hungarian lasted the full 90 minutes much to the frustration of fans who felt Arne Slot perhaps got his subs wrong today.
Callum Hudson-Odoi grabbed the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute with an excellent finish. The Merseysiders couldn't get past a resolute Forest defense which meant they suffered their first defeat of the Slot era.
Szoboszlai made three key passes during Liverpool's loss but failed to make a major impact at Anfield. He also won five of nine ground duels and all four of his aerial duels but that didn't tell the full story of his outing.
The Hungary international had initially flourished when arriving on Merseyside last season. He was a standout performer under Jurgen Klopp until a hamstring injury hampered his progress.
Szoboszlai has started this season with two assists in four games but fans are questioning his consistent starting role. He also picked up a sloppy yellow card late on as his side headed towards their first defeat since last season.
One fan made a bold claim regarding Szoboszlai:
"Szoboszlai is one of the worst footballers I’ve ever seen, there’s players in the Welsh league."
Another fan was extremely scornful of the former RB Leipzig:
"Will be a cold day in hell the day I ever rate Szoboszlai btw. Diabolical footballer."
More fans hit out at the Hungarian on X with one fan questioning his creativity:
"The most annoying thing about Szoboszlai is when we signed him, I thought we were getting a creative player. We've barely seen glimpses of that since he's joined. He needs to offer more."
Another laughed off comparisons between the midfielder and Steven Gerrard:
"'Szoboszlai' was getting Gerrard regen shouts just a few months ago."
One fan wanted Szoboszlai to be brought off:
"Get Szoboszlai off the pitch as soon as possible man, this is the issue we have with no midfield depth."
Another fan echoed those sentiments:
"How is Szoboszlai still on the pitch? He’s been absolutely awful today."
One fan was similarly critical:
"Awful decision not to take Szoboszlai off. Was so bad on the ball all game apart from one crossfield pass and he's kept getting on being bad on the ball but added lots of idiotic fouls."
Another fan blamed Szoboszlai for the hosts' loss:
"Szoboszlai is the reason Liverpool is losing this game. He's been awful the whole game."
"Genuinely what do we do with Szoboszlai man."
Dominik Szoboszlai's father claims he turned down another Premier League club for Liverpool
Szoboszlai arrived at Liverpool from Leipzig last summer in a reported £60 million move. The Merseysiders turned to the former RB Salzburg man after missing out on Jude Bellingham and Moises Caicedo.
The Hungarian's father Zsolt claims Szoboszlai received interest from another Premier League club and a Serie A side. They eventually decided a move to Anfield was the best option (via The Athletic):
"We talked about the move to England together. There was an Italian team and another English team but we decided on Liverpool — a club with great history and tradition, who could keep Dominik heading in the right direction. He can achieve whatever he wants to achieve."
Szoboszlai managed seven goals and four assists in 45 games across competitions last season. He's the fourth most expensive signing in the club's history.