Liverpool continued their perfect start to life under Arne Slot in the Premier League with an impressive 3-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
The Reds have now won all three of their top-flight matches without conceding a single goal and are second in the division, only behind Manchester City on goal difference, heading into the first international break.
Much was made of Jurgen Klopp's exit, after almost nine years and Premier League and Champions League trophies, when he made the decision to part ways with the club in the summer.
However, Slot has hit the ground running and implemented his style seamlessly with a terrific start to the 2024/25 campaign, which may have eased any fears about a bumpy transition.
What makes this impressive start to the season all the more eye-catching is that the manager only made one signing during the summer transfer window.
Federico Chiesa arrived on a permanent deal from Juventus towards the end of the window and has yet to make his debut for the club, which means that the players Slot inherited have all adapted to his style quickly.
Luis Diaz and Mo Salah are shining
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah are two players who have thrived under the new boss in the opening three games of the season, and they were in sublime form against United on Sunday.
The duo linked up for the opening goal in the first half as the Egypt international was played in down the right channel and clipped a delightful ball to the back post for his teammate to head the ball into a virtually empty net.
It was the same combination again for the second goal before the break, with Salah prodding the ball across for Diaz to brilliantly slide a shot into the bottom right corner.
The Liverpool icon went from provider to scorer in the second half as he walked onto a pass from Dominik Szoboszlai to slot the ball into the corner past Andre Onana, ending the game with one goal and two assists.
Appearances
3
3
Goals
3
3
Assists
1
3
Big chances created
2
4
Key passes per game
2.3
1.7
As you can see in the table above, the wing wizards have now combined for six goals and four assists in the first three games of the Premier League season.
Slot's exciting, progressive, style of football has put both players in positions to cause constant problems for opposition full-backs, and it has resulted in them providing regular quality in the final third.
However, they were not the only stars of the win at Old Trafford as Szoboszlai was as good as Salah and Diaz with his display in the number ten position.
Dominik Szoboszlai's performance against United
Szoboszlai, who was handed a player rating of 8/10 by 90min writer Jude Summerfield, put in a fantastic display in the middle of the park against Erik ten Hag's side.
Firstly, the Hungary international did not stop running from minute one to minute 90. His incredible engine was there for all to see with his superb pressing work to ensure that United's players did not have time and space to do what they wanted to do in possession, in the areas that he was covering.
The former RB Leipzig star won four of his six physical duels out of possession, all of which came on the ground, and made three tackles and one interception throughout the match, which illustrates his defensive impact for Liverpool to help his side to another clean sheet.
In possession, Szoboszlai was uber reliable for Slot in the role behind the front three, as he completed 90% of his attempted passes, with 35 out of 39 passes completed.
That did not take away from his creativity and risk-taking in the final third, however, as the Hungarian maestro provided an assist for Salah's goal with a drive through the middle and lay-off to the winger.
His assist for the Liverpool forward was one of three key passes made throughout the match, to go along with a 100% success rate in long passes and crosses (2/2).
Overall, it was a phenomenal shift from Szoboszlai, who proved his worth to the team in and out of possession, as he matched Diaz and Salah as one of the top performers in the team.
Slot is turning Szoboszlai into a monster
With a lack of signings during the summer transfer window, Slot had to improve the players he already had at his disposal when he arrived and the Dutchman appears to have done that already with the Hungary international.
Szoboszlai has produced two 'big chances' and registered one assist in the first three matches of the season, which shows that he has started the campaign in fine form offensively.
His work out of possession has not suffered as a result of that, though, as the central midfielder has averaged 6.3 ball recoveries per game and won 50% of his ground duels, compared to 5.2 recoveries and a 42% ground duel success rate in the Premier League last term.
Albeit based on a small sample size, the ex-Bundesliga starlet has improved his defensive work by winning possession back more frequently and more efficiently.
Appearances
33
3
Sofascore rating
7.15
7.63
Big chances created
7
2
Key passes per game
1.7
2.7
Pass accuracy
87%
93%
Ball recoveries per game
5.2
6.3
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old maestro's use of the ball has also improved under Slot on the evidence of this season so far.
He has been more secure in his passing whilst also offering more creativity, averaging 1.0 more key passes per match, and this suggests that the manager has helped him to be more efficient and effective in a number ten, or advanced eight, position.
These statistics show that the Dutch head coach is turning Szoboszlai into a midfield monster who can make a big impact in and out of possession for Liverpool and, hopefully, it will continue for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.
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