Dominik Szoboszlai's words after Sunday's defeat at Old Trafford carried more weight than they should have done. When the Hungary captain spoke about trying to drag his teammates with him and set an example, it wasn't just analysis of a disappointing performance. It was confirmation that Mohamed Salah's pre-match warnings about Liverpool's standards were spot on.

The Egyptian wasn't even on the pitch for the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United due to injury, but his words beforehand proved prophetic. His concerns about what happens when he leaves were laid bare in stark terms. "When I leave you need an example here. You need people to come early and go to the gym," Salah had told staff and senior figures. "If this doesn't happen, it will be tricky for the club, because it's very necessary you put the standards high."

After forty-five gutless minutes that saw Liverpool trail to goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, those standards looked anything but high. For the eleventh time this Premier League season, Arne Slot's side folded when it mattered most. The mountain they faced against one of their fiercest rivals was entirely of their own making.

Szoboszlai did what leaders are supposed to do. He spearheaded the fightback when others might have rolled over, sparking the comeback and providing Cody Gakpo with a tap-in after Senne Lammens' mistake. But his post-match comments revealed the burden he's carrying. "You have to ask the other ones about showing leadership," he said. "I try to do my best, I try to, as you say, drag them with me, take them with me and hopefully set an example day by day, game by game."

There's something deeply concerning about Liverpool's Player of the Season having to shoulder this responsibility almost alone. The leadership group that carried this club to title glory is being decimated. Salah and Andy Robertson are preparing for their final hurrahs in red. Potentially three senior figures if Alisson Becker follows through on ongoing speculation about a move to Juventus.

What makes this crisis more damaging is that the majority of the title-winning squad remains in the building. These players know what it takes to reach the summit. During the early stages of this season, that commitment and relentlessness saw them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat repeatedly. But when luck ran out, too many went into hiding.

Virgil van Dijk remains the one figure you can look to in crucial moments, but the captain turns 35 in July and enters the final year of his contract. Time waits for nobody, not even Liverpool's defensive colossus. Beyond him and Szoboszlai, who else has consistently stepped up when the pressure mounted?

Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate have seen it and done it at Anfield, but their significant drops in form have made them more detrimental than impactful. Hugo Ekitike showed promise before his form tailed off and the Achilles rupture that will keep him out for a significant period arrived at the worst possible moment.

Szoboszlai's gesture toward travelling supporters after the 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City showed he still has room to grow as a leader. But he's trying to fill a void that shouldn't exist at a club with Liverpool's experience and pedigree. His crucial goals and assists prove he's willing to carry the responsibility, but one man cannot drag an entire dressing room to where it needs to be.

Jurgen Klopp's departure raised questions about how Liverpool would cope without their key figurehead. Slot's debut season initially eradicated those doubts, but Salah's impending exit threatens to expose different weaknesses. The German's charisma and intensity were irreplaceable, but senior players setting standards through actions rather than words should transcend any manager.

The writing is already on the wall. Liverpool face another huge summer with significant transfer business expected, but you cannot simply buy leadership and standards. Those qualities are earned through years of shared experiences, battles won and lost together, and an understanding of what this club demands.

Szoboszlai's honesty about trying to set an example "for the last three games as well" speaks to a player who understands the magnitude of the task ahead, but it shouldn't be his burden alone to bear in what should be the prime years of his Liverpool career.