It began as a struggle for both. But rarely can the contrasting fortunes this calendar year of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have been so evident as at Molineux on Saturday.
While Mac Allister went on to play an influential role in helping Liverpool overcome an underwhelming start to eventually move to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 triumph over Wolves, his fellow midfielder was given the hook long before the final whistle.
It was in some respects a mirror image of Liverpool’s visit a little more than 12 months earlier, when a horribly misfiring Mac Allister – playing in a lone defensive midfield role – was replaced at half-time with Szoboszlai stepping up in a reshuffled engine room to help inspire the Reds to come from behind to win.
As Mac Allister found difficulty adapting having been thrust into a new position, Szoboszlai was instead continuing to hit the ground running having found the Premier League to his liking after arriving from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Fast forward to Saturday, though, and the roles were reversed. Now Szoboszlai is the player having to adjust to a different task as a number 10 which, given the regular instruction he received during the first half on the touchline from Reds boss Arne Slot, still requires some fine tuning.
A difficult evening for the Hungarian was encapsulated by failing to put Liverpool ahead from a matter of yards when found by Andy Robertson’s inviting cross. Yes, credit to Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone for instinctively throwing out a leg to save, but Szoboszlai’s perplexed reaction in the back of the net indicated he knew the ball should have been there instead.
Mac Allister hadn’t fared much better during an opening quarter that echoed his struggles at Molineux of last season. But, unlike Szoboszlai, he gradually worked himself into the game and continues to prosper in the double pivot role alongside Ryan Gravenberch in the deeper midfield positions.
It’s not that Szobozslai hasn’t shown himself capable further upfield. He responded to Slot’s call for better numbers regards goal contributions by scoring in the 3-1 Champions League win at AC Milan a fortnight ago, and assisted Mohamed Salah for goals at Ipswich Town and Manchester United.
But the forensic analysis that follows every game means his inconsistency this season – and, more pertinently, worrying trend of becoming peripheral for large stretches of matches – has become noted as a growing matter of, if not concern, then certainly intrigue among observers.
