Press conferenceWhy Dominik Szoboszlai is relishing doing a 'dirty job' for Arne Slot's Liverpool
The Reds’ No.8 was speaking during his press conference to preview Wednesday night’s Champions League tie against his former club RB Leipzig at Red Bull Arena.
Szoboszlai fielded questions on a variety of topics from journalists after landing in Germany on Tuesday evening – read a summary from his chat with the media below.
On whether he is happy with his own form currently…
It can be always better, so no. I can play better, as the gaffer said I can score more goals, I can give more assists, but I am doing the ‘dirty job’ as well for the team and that is the most important thing to me. While we are top of the league and I don’t score any goals, I’ll take it.
On how his role has changed under Arne Slot…
It’s almost the same. I can play a little bit higher, as I did last season, I have a little bit more of an offensive role. I’m happy with it but otherwise it’s the same.
On what work he is putting in to meet his targets of scoring more goals and providing more assists…
It’s not only about training sessions and videos. Of course, it helps a lot, but in the situation in the game it’s totally different so even if I score in the training sessions – you can ask the guys, I score a couple of good goals! – but still in the game it’s not the same. I’m trying to work on it, to be in the positions to score more goals, but yeah, even if it takes time I will get there.
On how he is feeling about returning to his former club…
I’m happy to be back and I cannot wait to get to the stadium tomorrow to see my old friends, coaching staff as well, and also the fans. I couldn’t say really a goodbye to them because my last transfer was a little bit quick! How are they [the fans] going to do [receive me]? To be honest, I don’t know. I know the players, I don’t know who is going to play but yeah, a great team, also a very good start to the season – six [Bundesliga] games [in which they] conceded no goals. So, we have to be ready.
On it being more than a year since he left Leipzig and what he feels his former club can achieve this season…
Well, one-and-a-half years went by so quickly and I played many matches already for Liverpool. I am very happy about it but I worked hard for it and I can only be thankful to Leipzig and to my previous clubs.
I think they [Leipzig] have a chance to win the Bundesliga title and I hope for them that they can make it. They won the DFB-Pokal, the German cup, they won the [German] Super Cup and only one trophy is missing – and why not this year? It could happen this season.
On how he has grown as a player and a person since leaving Leipzig…
As I said before, it was a quick one-and-a-half years. But I came here as a young talent and left as a grown man and now playing in the Premier League [I have] learned a lot of stuff, playing under Jürgen [Klopp] or under Arne gave me so much stuff that I didn’t know before. That shows that you can always learn something from different coaches and also the players I am playing with. I can only say positive stuff and you learn every day something and that is what I am looking for.
On how he felt when he found out he would be doing the aforementioned ‘dirty job’ for the team…
Well, last year I was doing the same so it’s not new this season. But of course, as I said before, I am going to do it all the time for my team and until we succeed it doesn’t matter for me if I don’t score. If we are top of the table, that’s the most important thing.
On the Reds’ objectives for this season…
We are looking game by game and seeing what’s going to happen. We have two cups in England, we have the Premier League, also you can compete against the best teams in the world and we still have the Champions League so we are looking forward to it and we want to achieve a lot of things, but let’s see what we are able to do.
