Szoboszlai's Versatility Key for Liverpool Amid Injury Crisis

Andoni Iraola is ready to push Dominic Szoboszlai back into the fire at right-back if Liverpool’s injury list keeps stretching – and the Hungarian is on board.

Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s reigning player of the year, is coming off the most productive season of his Anfield career: 53 games, 13 goals, 12 assists, and long spells spent doing an emergency job on the flank of the defence. It was an unusual role for a player signed as an attacking midfielder, but it might not be a one-off.

Liverpool went into the summer knowing they were light in full-back areas. They’ve come out of the window still short. Jeremie Frimpong has already been exposed in the opening two games, and a late push to plug the gap failed when Chelsea quickly shut down a deadline-day move for one of their players.

So the solution may once again come from within.

Szoboszlai’s versatility back on the table

Speaking on Thursday, Iraola made it clear he has already spoken with Szoboszlai about shifting position again if needed.

“I haven’t found any situation where a player has said he doesn’t want to play in a position,” he said, keeping his cards close but his message clear.

“We have discussions, but everyone wants to help. If we have to play Dom as a right winger, as a right-back or a midfielder, he wants to help the team first.

“We have some injuries now, and we need the versatility of the players, players like Dom. Even in the game, they have to change positions.”

For Iraola, the Hungarian’s adaptability is no luxury. It is a necessity. With Conor Bradley sidelined and no new specialist right-back through the door, the manager openly admitted why he values Szoboszlai there.

“The challenge in the squad now is we don’t have Conor there at right-back. That’s why I value Dom at right-back, as he can play there.

“Versatility in the player helps us go through the moments when we have injuries.”

No transfer panic after Barcola

Despite the obvious gaps, Iraola is not beating the drum for more signings. Liverpool’s only major first-team addition after a £123m outlay on Bradley Barcola has left some supporters underwhelmed, but the manager is backing the squad he has.

“I’m very happy with the signings we made. Do I want more signings? At the end, the club has decided those signings we have done are the ones that will improve our team.

“There were other options we decided not to take for different reasons, sometimes sporting or economic; the deal didn’t make sense in the market. But I’m happy now.

“We have a lot of quality in the team. The moment is for the players to give it all they have.”

The message is blunt: the window is shut, the answers must come from the dressing room and the training pitch.

“In midfield we have good numbers. Now it’s a matter of getting the right calls from myself.

“I’m finding now the best combinations, and we are going through a period now where we will play a lot of games, and we’ll have a chance to see the options we have and the combinations we have. It’s a matter of coaching.”

Square pegs in round holes might not be ideal, but Iraola is prepared to lean into it. Szoboszlai, already proven as a willing workhorse in unfamiliar territory, could again become the tactical fix on the right.

Injuries biting early

The context for all this improvisation is a growing injury list that has forced Liverpool into early-season reshuffles and makeshift line-ups.

“With injuries already biting hard at Anfield, the Reds have been forced to play a few square pegs in round holes, and it seems that will continue to be the theme over the coming weeks,” Iraola admitted, before outlining when help might arrive from the treatment room.

“The closest one [to playing again] is Joe [Gomez]. He will start training with us next week.

“Next one is [Giovanni] Leoni; he could be training during the break with the group. Conor [Bradley] is next, and, especially Hugo, longer.”

Gomez edging back is a boost. Bradley’s return would be a bigger one, given the strain on right-back. Until then, Iraola will lean on flexibility, tactical tweaks and players willing to step into the uncomfortable.

For Szoboszlai, that could mean another season where his influence is measured not just in goals and assists, but in how well he holds together a patched-up back line in a title-chasing squad.