Szoboszlai and City: a fixture that follows him everywhere

There are matches on the fixture list and then there are matches. Manchester City's visit to Anfield on Sunday falls firmly into the second category, and not just because of the 114 reasons that have the Kop already warming up for a pointed welcome along the M62. For Dominik Szoboszlai specifically, this fixture carries a weight that has nothing to do with the broader rivalry and everything to do with his own complicated relationship with it.

Cast your mind back to a January league clash when Szoboszlai thundered in a late free-kick that looked to have sent Liverpool on their way to three points, only to be sent off in additional time for hauling back his close friend Erling Haaland. Liverpool ended up losing 2-1. Then in April, a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final hammering at City was followed by an altercation with supporters after the final whistle, for which Szoboszlai later apologised, describing it as a "misunderstanding". The ground has not always been kind to him. But there is a third chapter too, and it is the one that matters most: it was against City in the 2024/25 campaign that Szoboszlai scored and assisted in a 2-0 win that effectively handed Liverpool the momentum they needed to win the Premier League title, the midfielder ending the match flat out on the turf from sheer exhaustion. The fixture giveth and the fixture taketh away.

A new role, a new challenge and a slow start under Iraola

The context around Szoboszlai this season makes Sunday all the more significant. Under Andoni Iraola, the tactical demands placed on the 25-year-old have shifted considerably. Where Arne Slot gave him licence to express himself and be Liverpool's best player during the title-winning campaign, Iraola has simplified the brief to competing for one of two defensive midfield roles sitting behind number 10 Florian Wirtz. It is a more disciplined, less glamorous brief, and by all accounts Szoboszlai is still finding his feet within it.

On the surface, his numbers look fine. He featured for every minute of Liverpool's Premier League fixtures before being substituted in the 81st minute at Bournemouth, scored in the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, and stepped off the bench in the League Cup to seal the win against Tottenham Hotspur with a thunderous finish. His nerveless penalty earned a point at Newcastle United on the opening weekend. These are not the contributions of a player who has fallen out of favour. But scratching beneath the surface tells a different story. Szoboszlai is not operating anywhere near his best level yet, and that gap has been filled, impressively, by Alexis Mac Allister, who struggled through much of last season but has emerged as Liverpool's most influential midfielder in the early weeks of this one.

What Sunday represents for the man in possession

The competition for places in Iraola's midfield is genuine, even if Szoboszlai currently holds the upper hand. Ryan Gravenberch has started only two of seven matches so far. Teenager Trey Nyoni is pushing hard for a first Premier League start. Wataru Endo has not featured under Iraola at all and was not even in the matchday squad at Bournemouth. With nine games coming in 29 days before the November international break, rotation is inevitable, and Iraola will be making judgements throughout.

Szoboszlai, though, is very much a player the club is building around. He signed a long-term deal at Anfield only this summer and was appointed as a vice-captain to skipper Virgil van Dijk. The foundation is solid. What Sunday offers is something more immediate: the chance to put his stamp on a fixture he has already shown he can define, to silence the awkward recent memories and to show Iraola exactly what he can produce when the occasion demands it. Given his propensity for leaving a mark on this particular match, the timing could hardly be better.