Dominik Szoboszlai: A New Leader in Liverpool’s Midfield

Vladimir Smicer knows what it looks like when a midfielder owns a big stage. He lived it in Istanbul.

The former Czech Republic international, a cult figure at Liverpool after six years, 183 games and that unforgettable role in the 2005 Champions League final, has seen enough of Dominik Szoboszlai to recognise a familiar aura.

A New Leader in Liverpool’s Engine Room

Szoboszlai arrived at Anfield with a reputation for technique and flair. He is leaving with something else: responsibility. At 25, the Hungarian has grown into an on-field reference point, a player Andoni Iraola can drop into several roles across midfield and even at right-back when required.

His game has always carried a highlight-reel edge. Thunderous strikes, especially from dead balls, have become part of his identity. The latest? A brutal, 30-yard rocket in the Carabao Cup that bent and dipped into the top corner to finish off Tottenham. One swing of his boot, and their cup hopes were gone.

Those moments of violence from distance stir old memories for Smicer. Not of himself, but of another Czech great.

Echoes of Nedved

Pavel Nedved once dominated Europe from midfield. In 2003, he stood on top of the game with the Ballon d’Or in his hands, a complete midfielder who could run, create, and decide matches with either foot. For a stretch, he was as close to unstoppable as anyone in his position.

Smicer sees that same blend of qualities in Szoboszlai.

“Dominik Szoboszlai and Pavel Nedved are similar in the physical side of the game. They both have that capacity for running, fighting and taking shots,” he told GOAL, speaking in association with Grosvenor Sport.

“Pavel’s work rate was really high and Szobo is the same. He can run, tackle and both players can score goals with their left foot, right foot and what I think they have in common is their leadership qualities too.”

It is not just the running or the shooting. It is the way both men bind a team together from the middle, turning graft into influence.

Filling the Leadership Void

Liverpool still have Virgil van Dijk, the club’s defensive pillar and captain. Yet modern sides need more than a single voice. They need lieutenants in every department, players who can drag a line of the team up the pitch with them.

“Virgil van Dijk is still a Liverpool player but you need those leaders in every line of your team, and ideally someone in midfield and I think Szobo is becoming that leader in midfield,” Smicer said.

“He was already playing as the leader last year when he was our best player in the team. He just needs to continue working because in a game, he can do anything. He can play the passes, make the plays, score the goals, and that’s what Liverpool need.”

That “anything” is what makes Szoboszlai so central to Iraola’s project. He has the engine to press, the aggression to tackle, and the craft to unlock a defence. When he steps higher up the pitch, his full skill set comes into view: passing through lines, dictating tempo, arriving in the box, or simply deciding to unleash from range.

Iraola’s Unbeaten, Unfinished Liverpool

Under new Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, Liverpool have yet to taste defeat in the 2026-27 campaign. The record looks clean. The performances still feel like a work in progress.

The system is bedding in, the pressing triggers being refined, the rotations in midfield still being polished. Through that evolution, Szoboszlai is emerging as the heartbeat of the side, the player who can turn Iraola’s ideas into something tangible on the pitch.

He has even dropped to right-back on occasion, a testament to his tactical intelligence and work rate. Yet the consensus is clear: Liverpool get the best version of Szoboszlai when he is driving forward, not holding back.

Next up is a trip to Bournemouth on Sunday, the final hurdle before the first international break. Liverpool go there unbeaten, still searching for their top gear, but with a midfielder who looks increasingly ready to carry the weight of a new era.

Smicer once helped script one of Anfield’s greatest nights. If his instincts about Szoboszlai and those Nedved-like qualities are right, Liverpool’s next great story might just be written from the centre of the pitch.