Dominik Szoboszlai‘s energy has once again been verified by a Europe-wide stat, but he is currently being pipped by another player who was on Liverpool’s radar in the summer.
The Hungarian wowed supporters with his performance in the pre-season lactate test, made famous by James Milner‘s consistent displays well into his 30s.
His impressive work rate was underlined by two impressive stats back in November, and has been further emphasised by another category in which he is placed in Europe’s top three.
Szoboszlai ranks third for counterpressures across the continent’s top five leagues, as per data provided by StatsBomb.
Counterpressures, Big 5 Leagues 2023/24 pic.twitter.com/4F6U4FRHe1
— StatsBomb (@StatsBomb) January 16, 2024
The metric factors in the number of times a player immediately seeks to win back the ball after his team loses possession, something Jurgen Klopp prides himself on with his teams.
It is a field which is unsurprisingly dominated by midfielders, but the man at the top of the pile was linked to Anfield back in the summer.
Liverpool were reported to be preparing a bid for then Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte towards the back end of last season, but the Uruguayan eventually ended up signing for Ligue 1 champions PSG instead.
He tops the pile for counterpressures, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz separating the midfield pair in second place.
It is no surprise that Klopp is such a fan of Szoboszlai, with his productivity and output both ideal qualities needed to thrive in a Liverpool midfield.
The 23-year-old was ever-present in the side up until the hamstring injury he sustained during the 4-2 win over Newcastle at Anfield on New Year’s Day.
He has four goals and three assists to his name so far for the Reds in all competitions, winning over supporters almost immediately with his early displays in the Premier League.
Fans will be hopeful his injury is only a minor one, with his dynamism evident in the latest numbers and something that will be a vital tool if Liverpool are to succeed on multiple fronts between now and May.
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