Around 13 years ago, Liverpool faced the Italian team Napoli at home in a challenging Europa League match.
The Reds were trailing 1-0 after 45 minutes of play, and Roy Hodgson, who was under pressure to produce results at Anfield, opted to send in the cavalry during the halftime In an effort to alter the match’s outcome, the ex-Liverpool manager substituted Steven Gerrard with Milan Jovanovi, and the Scouse midfielder made such a dramatic influence that he nearly single-handedly changed the outcome.break.
In an amazing 3-1 victory for Hodgson, who was anxious for good results, Gerrard scored three goals against the Naples team, recording a second-half hat-trick. After the game, former defender and teammate Jamie Carragher remarked, “Stevie is just an unbelievable talent, we all know that.” In the course of his career, we have repeatedly witnessed him act in the same manner. As soon as he entered the game in the second half, you could tell the crowd was reacting favorably to him.
The given performance perfectly encapsulated Gerrard as a player. With Gérard Houllier, Rafael Bentez, and Brendan Rodgers all relying on his heroism during their respective terms on Merseyside, he was as dynamic as it gets, demonstrating a natural ability to lead by example and generally acting like a general in the middle of the park for his boss.
With the exception of the Europa League, Jürgen Klopp has largely operated without a comparable midfielder during his time at Liverpool. The German coach has brought every available trophy to Anfield, but he has done so without the aid of an all-action midfielder who is a level above his teammates.
Most of the time, Klopp’s midfielders have been effective and selfless. The trend is best exemplified by players like Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, and Fabinho who, in contrast to Gerrard, tend to fly under the spotlight while giving their more attack-minded teammates a chance to win games.
Klopp’s work has never been hampered by the absence of a Gerrard-like figure, but it now appears that he is finally enjoying the same luxury that his predecessors once did.
Dominik Szoboszlai was hired by Liverpool this summer from RB Leipzig. The Hungarian skipper arrived with a hefty price tag connected to his name, but after only a few weeks in the building, he is already justifying his transfer fee in the gaze of admirers.
Although it is still extremely early, Szoboszlai already appears to be a true gem. He appears to have everything: physicality, technique, industry, originality, and everything in between—attached to his profile. Even though he is still only 22 years old, after only a few months on English soil, he already appears to be among the finest midfielders in the Premier League.
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Above all else, perhaps, Klopp is finally reaping the benefits of having a pivotal midfielder at his disposal. His club and Leicester City were locked in a 1-1 draw in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night when he made the bold decision to bring Szoboszlai off the bench.
He opted to call on his new number eight to change the game for Liverpool, exactly as Gerrard did against Napoli over ten years ago, after initially attempting to rest him. Szoboszlai had only been on the field for five minutes when he scored with a piledriver from outside the penalty area that went into the top corner of the goal.
The Reds went on to defeat the Foxes 3-1 thanks to Klopp’s newly discovered general
determining the outcome. In fact, the 56-year-old performed the exact same action last week against LASK in the Europa League. With 30 minutes left, and the game at 1-1 against the Austrian team, Klopp substituted Szoboszlai.
Liverpool scored two minutes after taking the lead and added another goal 25 minutes later. Szoboszlai is a lock to start for Klopp in the Premier League, but even when given a break, he still has the potential to save his team’s bacon when they need it most.
There is a reason Gerrard and Liverpool’s new talisman are being compared so early in their respective careers at Anfield, even if it is simply too early in the season to draw any firm conclusions. Nothing is more laudatory for a player On Merseyside, there is no greater compliment a player can receive, and none would dispute his deservingness.
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