The footballing public’s haste to judge new acquisitions is one of many regrettable trends. Most will be judged as either the greatest of all time or a complete bust after only a few of games, when in all likelihood they have performed admirably and are still getting their bearings.

If you need a relevant example, consider Cody Gakpo. He didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his early Liverpool appearances, but he matured into a key contributor by the end of the 2022–23 season. Only Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota scored more goals than him last season after he scored his first goal against Everton.

Now we come to the second problem with making hasty conclusions. Especially when trying to criticize a player from an opposing team that you probably haven’t seen play much, they resort to using oversimplified statistics like goals and assists. Dominik Szoboszlai has been an instant Һit with Liverpool fans, but his one goal and zero assists may make others wonder what all the hype is about.

Even while it won’t stop people from doing it, evaluating a midfielder based on such superficial metrics misses the purpose totally. The Hungarian’s tireless work ethic and positive attitude have made him a fan favorite at Anfield, where the Liverpool team plays.

Szoboszlai “became the 2nd fastest footballer in @premierleague history against Wolves recording a top speed of 36.76kph,” as noted by the Anfield Index Under Pressure team on Twitter/X. He also bested key cogs from the Reds’ midfield of 2017/18 in terms of distance covered, presses, sprints, and other mouthwatering metrics.

Szoboszlai’s on-ball production, though, should not be undervalued. Looking closely at the Reds’ 12 league goals in 2023/24, it becomes clear that the former RB Leipzig midfielder was instrumental in creating the majority of them. His contributions against Bournemouth stood out the most, along with his stunning goal against Aston Villa.

Salah scored from the penalty spot after the 22-year-old was fouled, and Diogo Jota scored when Neto deflected a ball into his path in the second half. Opta’s chalkboards provide for a more in-depth examination of plays that lead to shots than FBRef’s goal-creating actions.

If you do so, you’ll find that only three of the scores don’t feature Szoboszlai in any way. After Harvey Elliott won the ball, Salah set up Darwin Nez for the assist on their goal against Newcastle. Both of the other goals, Salah’s at Aston Villa and Andy Robertson’s at Molineux last weekend, were set up by corners. That Szoboszlai was not a part of the small group of players who achieved those objectives is hardly a reflection on him.

He trails Salah by just one goal this season in terms of involvement, 10 to 9, and is two goals ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in third position. It’s evident that a player can make many contributions during situations that involve lengthy sequences of possession—for example, the 29 consecutive passes made by Liverpool that ended in an own goal for Villa’s Matty Cash. More than Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Darwin Nevarez put together, Szoboszlai has taken 16 actions in the final third.

Not surprisingly, he has surpassed the accomplishments of those forwards. He has played every minute of all five matches, which is more like 502 minutes given the significant injured time played most weeks. Any midfielder on a team that thrives when in possession will have his or her involvements increase as the game progresses.

Still, Szoboszlai should be commended for his quick acclimation to Jürgen Klopp’s Reds in their most recent incarnation. Though his lack of goals and assists may be criticized by the outside world, the manager will always appreciate the indirect contributions he makes to the team’s success.