Submit-Match Uncooked: Szoboszlai, Liverpool and a Assertion in Frankfurt
Liverpool’s 5–1 win away to Frankfurt within the Champions League turned the right canvas for Anfield Index’s Submit-Match Uncooked. In dialog with Trev Downey, Dave Hendrick and Hari Sethi moved between scepticism and satisfaction, weighing a obligatory step ahead towards the longer highway nonetheless forward for Arne Slot’s facet. This was an evening the place Dominik Szoboszlai’s high quality and Liverpool’s set-piece edge felt decisive — and the panel didn’t maintain again.
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Context and momentum shift in Germany
“No person is aware of what we’re but,” mentioned Hendrick early on, pushing again at any grand declarations after 4 straight defeats. His caveat got here with a pointy appraisal of the opposition: “They’ll’t defend. They’re totally, totally hopeless defensively.” Even so, the form of the sport mattered. Liverpool had been a aim down on 25 minutes, then detonated the competition with three targets between 34 and 44 minutes — a swing that reframed all the things that adopted.
Hendrick captured the change of tone neatly: “Removed from excellent, however far much better than the utter dross we’ve been served up over the past 4 video games.”
Photograph: IMAGO
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Midfield function returns
What modified? Tempo and intent in midfield. Hendrick highlighted “Dom Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones doing this factor… passing the ball forwards, having function in possession, transferring the ball rapidly,” a long-lost behavior that reappeared at simply the proper time. It chimed with Sethi’s tempered expectations: “No, however I wasn’t actually anticipating to see that tonight by way of a totally fledged new plan.” As an alternative, he noticed a supervisor “looking out round for… completely different concepts, completely different connections that may assist out,” with Jones–Szoboszlai the night time’s standout partnership.
On Szoboszlai, Hendrick was unequivocal: “What a participant. What an absolute monster of a participant.” The Hungarian’s ball-carrying, urgent and clear strikes had been the technical thread that tied Liverpool’s finest passages collectively — exactly the form of affect this facet has been looking for.
Set-piece menace resurfaces
For months, Liverpool’s top hasn’t translated into targets. In Frankfurt, it did. Two corners, two centre-back headers, and a reminder of an underused weapon. Sethi needs it to stay: “I’d love us to make this extra of part of our sport,” whereas acknowledging the league context the place “defenders get themselves out of bother by taking place on the slightest contact.”
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The numbers behind the management had been encouraging, too. As Downey famous on the pod, 80% of Liverpool’s pictures had been heading in the right direction on the night time, a stark uptick from the season’s common so far. When the set-plays land and your finishers hit the goal, scorelines look emphatic in a short time.
Warning alongside optimism
Sethi resisted neat narratives: this was not a silver bullet, however “fairly near as optimistic because it may have gotten” given the current run. Crucially, he pushed again on lazy critiques of perspective: “These guys need it… hardworking… excessive IQ gamers.” The incoherence has been structural greater than motivational; in Frankfurt, construction seemed clearer and execution cleaner.
Ultimately, Hendrick and Sethi converged on a practical takeaway. Frankfurt’s openness helped, sure, however Liverpool nonetheless needed to exploit it with quicker midfield play, decisive broad mixtures and ruthless set-pieces. If Slot can bottle these repeatable bits — that Jones–Szoboszlai thrust, higher-quality supply from corners, and sharper shot choice — the win turns into greater than a one-off.
5 targets, renewed function, and a marquee flip from Szoboszlai. Submit-Match Uncooked framed it completely: not a conclusion, however a launch level.