How Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones showed Arne Slot how to build his midfield

Arne Slot was forced to tweak his midfield against Frankfurt and the performance of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in their 5-1 win showed it should stay that way.

Slot’s decision to start all four of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo while not selecting a natural right winger caused eyebrows to raise pre-match.

Liverpool set up in a 4-2-4 of sorts from kickoff, with Wirtz the nominal right-sider, and the head coach’s comments before the game emphasised the need for stability in his two-man midfield.

“They can play together, they showed this against United,” he said of dual-nines Ekitike and Isak. “But it does mean that our midfield needs to be structured a little bit differently.

“So where we usually play with maybe one No. 6 now we need Curtis and Dom to be a bit more defensive-minded than one of the two usually is.”

Such was the strength Liverpool found with that restructured midfield that Slot may have in fact found his new blueprint.

 

Jones and Szoboszlai brought stability

Per FotMob, Jones (139) and Szoboszlai (121) had by far the most touches of any player in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory at Deutsche Bank Park.

In each of the previous four games – all losses, of course, to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Man UnitedVirgil van Dijk had led the side for touches of the ball.

That change represents a welcome shift in balance, not only in how Liverpool built up play, but also in how effective those two midfielders were.

Jones set a new Champions League record for the Reds as he completed 122 of his 127 attempted passes, while Szoboszlai made the second-most with 105 of his 110 reaching their intended target – 96 and 95 percent completion respectively.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY - Wednesday, October 22, 2025: Liverpool's team back row left to right: goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Hugo Ekitike, Ibrahima Konaté, captain Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and front row left to right: Jeremie Frimpong, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak before the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at the Waldstadion. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The same two players led the game for passes into the final third – Jones with 18, Szoboszlai with 17 – and Liverpool’s No. 8 also created the joint-most chances of any player with four (tied with Wirtz and Gakpo).

No Liverpool player made more recoveries – in other words, regaining possession for his team – than Szoboszlai (seven).

Context is necessary, with Frankfurt producing arguably the worst team performance Slot’s side have faced so far this season, but victory was built on a suffocating two-man act in the Reds’ midfield.

 

No more “basketball games”?

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 20, 2025: Liverpool's substitute Curtis Jones on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC at Anfield. The 247th Merseyside Derby. Liverpool won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“I’ve been saying it for a couple of weeks, our games feel as if they are basketball games, it’s end-to-end a lot,” Jones told LFCTV after the game.

“I’ve come in the team and the thing in my mind is I want to get on the ball. I want the team to play through me.

“I can dominate a game if I’ve got the ball a lot, and I have Dom alongside me who is comfortable on the ball as well. I think our goal was to get on the ball and play.”

Despite fielding two strikers, a left winger and a No. 10, as well as introducing Federico Chiesa for Isak at half-time to stick with his 4-2-4, there was less of a sense of chaos about Slot’s setup in Frankfurt.

Liverpool had 65 percent possession – similar to that seen against Palace (72%), Galatasaray (67%) and United (64%) – but instructing Jones and Szoboszlai to “be a bit more defensive-minded” led to fewer turnovers, and therefore fewer chances for the opposition.

Frankfurt managed only four shots on goal and just one on target, which is a significant improvement on Liverpool facing 16 shots from Palace, nine from Galatasaray, 12 from Chelsea and 12 from United.

One of the main criticisms aimed at Slot during the club’s worst run of defeats in almost 11 years is the decision to tweak Ryan Gravenberch‘s role this season.

Gravenberch is now given more license to push forward, rather than staying in his starting role as a No. 6, and that has almost certainly led to the decrease in stability in Liverpool’s midfield.

His absence on Wednesday night forced the change, but that is not to suggest he should now drop out of contention even when fit.

More so Liverpool’s dominance of Frankfurt, and the importance of a more disciplined, possession-hungry midfield pivot to that, should prompt a shift in approach from Slot himself.

Even if the 4-2-4 makes way for the usual 4-2-3-1 again, it is clear that a return to control and composure in the engine room is essential.


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