The frustration that echoed around Anfield's stands on Wednesday night was mirrored, with stark honesty, in the Liverpool dressing room. After a dismal 1-1 draw with Sunderland, it was midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai who shouldered the responsibility to speak, delivering a blunt assessment of a team in crisis.
A Season of Failing to Launch
This has been a campaign where captain Virgil van Dijk has frequently fronted up to explain Liverpool's shortcomings, and he was again present after this latest setback. The result did nothing to calm growing anxiety among the supporters. However, as midnight approached, it was Szoboszlai—often the team's shining light this season—who emerged to carry the weight of the conversation.
When asked how he felt about the performance, his response was succinct and telling: 'Not good.' A heavy five-second silence followed, speaking volumes about the mood. There was no attempt to dress up the reality. In a ruinous run of 14 games, Liverpool have conceded the first goal ten times, a statistic that has systematically shredded the squad's confidence.
Leadership and Raw Disappointment
One of the key reasons Liverpool signed the Hungarian captain was for his leadership qualities as much as his technical skill. The look on his face as he dissected another sobering 90 minutes was revealing, his eyes burning with intensity. His frank disappointment evoked memories of how another legendary Liverpool number 8, Steven Gerrard, would address difficult periods.
'It is important to me,' Szoboszlai emphasised. 'It is something that, as a Liverpool player, we shouldn't be accepting to be in this situation. To draw at home? Sunderland have a great team, of course. But if we were in the same situation last year, there is no way we would lose points at home. That is what we are missing now.'
He acknowledged the direct impact on morale: 'When you aren’t winning, the confidence goes down a little bit.' While insisting the players are professional enough to rebuild it, he admitted the current formula is not working, despite their best efforts in every game.
Searching for Solutions Ahead of Leeds Trip
The frustration was visibly personal. At the final whistle, Szoboszlai was seen hectoring teammate Hugo Ekitike over a squandered chance, a moment he later explained was born from meticulous training. 'We had practiced two days ago from the same position,' he revealed. 'We always shot with the inside of the foot, but now he tried to smash it as hard as he could.'
With a crucial trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday, the pressure is immense. Szoboszlai pointed out that Leeds, fresh from a 3-1 battering of Chelsea, are playing better than their league position suggests. The Hungarian admitted he would not be watching the Sunderland game back, but it would haunt him. 'I can't sleep but that is not because of the result - that is because of the game. Because I am awake, I will think.'
He stressed that turning things around is a collective duty, not solely the manager's. 'He [Arne Slot] can give the structure and the ideas. Even if they are good, we have to give our best... It is also us players because we are on the pitch.' Szoboszlai concluded with a grim determination, stating 'hard times make you stronger,' but for now, hope is in desperately short supply at Anfield.
